
Class b \^ia 
Book._J 



COPWIGHT DKPOSm \ ^ * vi 




PATRICK henry: "iF TUTS BE TREASON, MAKE THE MOST OF IT !" 



.«•./' 



The Beginner's 



History of Our Country 



BY 

HARRY F. ESTILL 

PRESIDENT SAM HOUSTON STATE NORMAL INSTITUTE, HUNTSVILLE, TEXAS; 
ASSOCIATE AUTHOR OF " THE HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY " 



DALLAS, TEXAS 

THE SOUTHERN PUBLISHING COMPANY 
1912 



£7 7? 



TO MY WIFE 

LOULIE SEXTON ESTILL 

THIS LITTLE BOOK 
IS DEDICATED 



Oipyright, I901, 1912 
By .Harry ¥. Estill 






PREFACE • 

TJie Beginner's History of Our Country, as its title 
indicates, is designed to introduce the study of American 
history. The underlying idea throughout the book is 
adaptation to the nature and needs of the child. Some 
distinctive features of the plan may here be noted. 

In the first place, unlike some primary histories in com- 
mon use, this is not an abridgment of a larger history. 
To attempt, within the narrow limits of a primary text- 
book, to present all of the events of our national life that 
are commonly considered important from the adult's 
standpoint, would be to reduce the narrative to little more 
than a catalogue of names and dates. Moreover, some 
subjects embraced in our country's history are absolutely 
beyond the comprehension of an immature mind. To 
require the young pupil to memorize statements upon 
such subjects is nothing short of a pedagogical crime. 

On the other hand. The Beginner s History of Our 
Country is not a story book. It is not made up of dis- 
connected biographies of a few great Americans. Even 
in this early stage of his school life it is deemed important 
that the pupil gain a connected view — incomplete though 
it be — of his country's continuous life and progress. 

Accordingly, in the preparation of this book the 
author's purpose has been to present only such events as 
may be brought within the range of the child's com- 



IV PREFACE 

prehension and interest. The space allotted to the sub- 
jects selected is not apportioned according to adult ideas 
of historic importance. The sequence in the presenta- 
tion of topics is not always that of chronology. The 
biographical treatment is freely, but not exclusively, 
used; individual biography is subordinated to the biog- 
raphy of the Union. The aim has been to give the 
learner a connected view of the life of our country in 
some of its simpler aspects rather than a series of dis- 
connected views of the lives of great Americans. 
Loyalty to the memory of their fathers who fought for 
deathless principles, respect for honest differences of 
opinion and belief, admiration for noble character, in 
whatever section it has its home, are three elements of 
the earnest and hopeful patriotism which this little book 
is intended to arouse in the breasts of the children who 
study it. 

In the mechanical execution of the book, as in its au- 
thorship, the idea of adaptation to the pupil has been 
steadily kept in view. With large print, excellent paper, 
abundant and artistic illustrations, and helpful maps, 
the publishers have left nothing undone that would con- 
trilmte to the pleasure and l:)enefit of the learner. 

Note. — In the preparation of this work for the press the author 
gratefully acknowledges the assistance of his sister, Miss Jennie 
Estill. 



Contents 



:hapter page 

I. The Finding of America. 

1. Christopher Cohimbus i 

2. Discoveries of Columbus 7 

3. The People Whom Columbus Found 17 

4. Some Results of Columbus's Discoveries ..... 21 
II. Making Homes in the New Land. 

Walter Raleigh 29 

III. Virginia and Her Neighbors, 

1. John Smith — Virginia 38 

2. Virginia's Northern Neighbor — Maryland 54 

3. Virginia's Twin Southern Neighbors — the Carolinas . . 59 

4. Virginia's Youngest Neighbor — Georgia 63 

IV. Massachusetts and Her Neighbors. 

1. Myles Standish — Massachusetts ........ 71 

2. The Little Neighbor of Massachusetts— Rhode Island . 81 

3. Two Other Neighbors of Massachusetts — Connecticut 

and New Hampshire 82 

4. King Philip's War 83 

V. Pennsylvania and Her Neighbors. 

1. William Penn — Pennsylvania 87 

2. Pennsylvania's Little Neighbor — Delaware 94 

3. Pennsylvania's Twin Neighbors — the Jerseys .... 94 

4. Pennsylvania's Dutch Neighbor — New York .... 95 
VI. The Rise of New France. 

1. Cartier, the Explorer loi 

2. Champlain, the Father of New France 104 

3. The Founders of the Louisiana Territory 

La Salle 108 

The Le Moyne Brothers 113 

VII. A Picture of Life in the Colonies. 

1. General View of the Colonies 123 

2. Story of a New England Boy . 127 

3. The Story of a Southern Boy 137 

VIII. The French War and the Downfall of New France. 

Colonel George Washington 149 

IX. War of the Revolution. 

General George Washington 161 

V 



vi CONTENTS 

CHAPTER PAGE 

X. Benjamin Franklin 178 

XI. From the Alleghanies to the Mississippi. 

1. Daniel Boone, Hunter and Pioneer 184 

2. General George Rogers Clark 189 

3. John Sevier, the State Builder 193 

XII. The New Government Started. 

President George Washington 197 

XIII. Thomas Jefferson. 

1. About Jefferson's Life 205 

2. From the Mississippi to the Rocky Mountains .... 210 

3. We Teach the Pirates of Africa a Lesson 215 

XIV. Andrew Jackson. 

The War of 1812. The Purchase of Florida .... 217 
XV. Three Great Inventions. 

1. The Steamboat 225 

2. The Railroad 230 

3. The Telegraph 233 

XVI. A Period of Peaceful Development. 

Three Great Statesmen 2yj 

XVII. Sam Houston. 

1. Early Life of Houston 248 

2. Texas and the Pacific Slope 252 

XVIII. The Story of Two Kentucky Boys. 

1. Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis 260 

2. Early Life of Lincoln 261 

3. Early Life of Davis 264 

4. Formation of the Confederate States ...... 268 

XIX. The War Between the States. 

1. The Beginning of the War 275 

2. West of the Alleghanies 278 

3. The Defense of Richmond 280 

4. After the Surrender 282 

XX. Our Country Reunited 287 

XXI. War with Spain. 

Our First Island Territory 293 

XXII. Oklahoma, the Indian State 299 

United States and its Possessions 306 

List of the Presidents 308 

Index " 309 



The Beginner's 
History of Our Country 

CHAPTER I • 
The Finding of America 

Christopher Columbus 



4^, 



Our Country Long Ago — A long, long time ago, long- 
before our great-grandfathers and great-grandmothers 
were born, this country of ours looked quite different' 
from the way it appears to us to-day. True, the same 
great rivers flowed 
down to the sea 
as now, the same 
hills and moun- 
tains lifted their 
heads above the 
valleys and plains; 
but there were 
no railroads and 
telegraph lines in 
that long-ago 
time ; there were 
no schools, no 
churches no 

c 11 u 1 c 11 c s , uu INDIAN WIGWAMS AND CANOE. 




2 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

houses, no farms. Not a single white man lived 
in all this land. , There were some queer-looking 
red-skinned people here, whose clothes were made of 
the hides of animals, and who lived in huts, or wigwams, 
and roamed from one part of the country to another, 
hunting deer in the forest, or hufifalo on the prairies. 
W'ould you like to learn how the first white man found 




INDIAN BUFFALO HUNTERS. 



his way to this country; how other white men came, after 
the first bold sailor had shown the way ; how homes were 
made in the woods, fierce enemies were driven away, 
schools, churches, and towns built? Would you like to 
learn how our country grew from a few scattered farms 
and settlements along the seacoast to the greatest na- 
tion in the world? In the pages of this book this story 



THE FINDING OF AMERICA 



3 



will 1)e told. To begin with, let us see how the first white 
men came to our country. 

The Old Town of Genoa. — In the far-away land of Italy 
is an old town named Genoa, built on the shore of the 
Mediterranean Sea. The streets of this town are nar- 
row and crooked, the houses are tall, with steep, pointed 
roofs, small windows, and balconies hanging over -the 
sidewalks. The people speak a ditTerent language from 
ours, so you could not understand them if you should 
hear them talk. The part of the sea that touches Genoa 
is so shut in by the land 




THE HOME OF COLUMBUS. 



Among the 



that it makes a fine harbor, 
w^iere ships are safe from 
storms. Here, every day, 
for hundreds of years, 
ships have been coming 
and going, loaded with 
freight for the merchants of Genoa 
Genoese boys of long ago who loved to spend their holi- 
days at the water's edge w^ere three brothers, Chris- 
topher, Diego, and Bartholomew Columbus. These 
boys took great delight in watching the busy sailors un- 
loading their strange cargoes of silks, spices, and jewels, 
and in listening to their stories of the distant lands they 
had visited. Christopher, the oldest of the boys, often 
declared to his younger brothers that he would one day 
be a sailor, and the captain of the finest of the ships. 

A Genoese Schoolboy — The father of Christopher Co- 
lumbus was a wool-comber, that is, a man who earned his 
living by combing wool so as to smooth and straighten it 
for the cloth-makers. Noticing Christopher's fondness 



THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



for the sea, he sent the boy to school, where he could study 
those subjects that would be of use to him as a sailor. 
The schools of that day were quite different from our 
schools. The art of printing had been known only a 

short time, and it is probable 
that Christopher Columbus 
had never seen a printed 
book. A few printed books 
might have been found in 
the libraries of the learned 
men of Genoa, but most 
books of that time were 
rolls of paper, on which the 
words were written with 
pen and ink. In the schools 
the pupils had no books, but 
learned what the teacher 
told them, sometimes writ- 
ing down or committing to 
memory what he said. Geography, astronomy, and nav- 
igation were the studies to which Christopher devoted 
most of his time, for as a sailor he would have to know 
each of these subjects. 

Geographies of That Day — Most teachers of geogra- 
phy in those times taught that the earth was flat, though 
there were a few learned men who believed that it was 
round. While a schoolboy, Christopher probably heard 
both of these beliefs expressed, but which was correct 
no one knew. Europe, Asia, and the northern part of 
Africa w^ere the only countries then known. No one 
could sav how far Africa extended toward the south, 




CHRISTOPHER COLL'MBUS. 



THE FINDING OF AMERICA 5 

or Asia toward the east. North America, South Amer- 
ica, Austraha, and the Pacific Ocean had never been 
heard of, and so were not found on any maps. The 
Atlantic Ocean was called the ''Sea of Darkness," be- 
cause so little was known about it. The maps of the 
world Columbus learned to make were like the one on 
this page. 

The Schoolboy Becomes a Sailor — When Christo])her 
was fourteen years old his father took him from school. 
The boy did not like his father's trade of wool-combing, 
however, and to his great delight he was allowed to be- 




MAP OF THE WORLD STUDIED BY COLUMBUS. 

come a sailor. He soon learned all about sailing a ship, 
and was so apt, diligent, and skillful that in a few years 
he became captain of a vessel. On trading voyages, or 
fighting with the enemies of his country, Columbus 
visited the most important ports on the coast of the Medi- 
terranean Sea. 

He Makes His Home in Portugal — If you will find the 
country of Portugal on the map, and observe that it is 
situated on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean, and also at 



6 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

the entrance of the Mediterranean Sea, you will not be 
surprised that the people of Portugal have always been 
skillful sailors. When Columbus was a boy, the Portu- 
guese had begun to explore the coast of Africa, trying to 
find how far south it extended. Prince Henry of Por- 
tugal encouraged these voyages of discovery, and estab- 
lished a college where everything relating to navigation 
was taught by the most learned teachers of Europe. 
Portuguese sailors soon became famous for their daring 
and successful voyages. Columbus was always glad 
when his duty took him to Portugal, where he could hear 
of the latest discoveries, and perhaps learn something 
new about the art of navigation. One day, when at- 
tending church in the city of Lisbon, he saw a young 
lady sitting near him who was so beautiful that, try as 
hard as he might, he could not listen to the service for 
looking at her or thinking about her. This young lady 
was the daughter of a famous Italian sailor who was 
employed by the king of Portugal. Columbus contrived 
to meet the lady, and persuaded her to be his wife. After 
his marriage he made his home in Portugal, and, when 
not away on the sea, earned his living by making maps 
and charts. 

Were you ever far in the woods or on the wild prairie, out of sight 
of all signs of human beings? If so, tell how you came to be there, 
and what you saw. 

What can you say of the appearance of all this country before the 
first white people came ? Tell all you can about Genoa. Who was 
Christopher Columbus? His father? How did Christopher and his 
brothers spend their spare time? Tell of Christopher's school. What 
different views about the earth's shape did Christopher hear? What 
parts of the world were then known? (What parts of the world are 



THE FINDING OF AMERICA 



7 



unknown to-day?) At what age did Columbus have to stop school? 
What did he then do? Why were the Portuguese skillful sailors? 
What had the Portuguese done to advance geographical knowledge? 
How did Columbus come to make his home in Portugal ? 



DISCOVERIES OF COLUMBUS 



A Great Voyage Planned — Not many years before this 
time, a venturesome Italian traveler had passed over the 
mountains, valleys, and plains of western Asia, and had 
visited India, China, and Japan. This traveler, Marco 




THE KNOWN WORLD IN THE TIME OF COLUMBUS. 

Polo by name, returned to Europe with wonderful reports 
of the wealth of these distant lands. Rich merchants at 
once sent out trading- expeditions to get some of the silks, 
spices, and gums of India. The trade in these things 
would have been highly profitable if it had not been that 
part of the journey to India had to be made by land. In 
those days land transportation was slow, expensive, and 
dangerous, because goods had to be carried on the backs 



8 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

of horses or camels throiioh countries infested by robbers. 
Therefore wealth and fame awaited the sailor who should 
find an all-water route to India. Portuguese sailors were 
trying to reach the coveted land by sailing around the 
southern end of Africa. Columbus began studying the 
problem, and kept thinking al^out it while drawing his 
maps or making his voyages. "If the earth is round, as I 
believe it is," said he, "why cannot I reach Asia by going 
west?" He concluded that a voyage westward across 
the untried waters of the Atlantic Ocean would bring 
him to the eastern shores of Asia, and he decided to 
make the attempt as soon as he could get the necessary 
ships and men. 

What People Thought of the Plan To the people of 

his time this bold plan of Columbus seemed almost as 
foolish and dangerous as a proposal to cross the ocean 
on a bicycle would seem to us to-day. Some said he was 
crazy and pitied him. Others made fun of him. They 
told him that if the earth were round, as he claimed, 
men on the other side would be walking with their heads 
downward, and that his ships would have to sail up-hill 
to return to Europe; that in mid-ocean the waves were 
boiling hot, and were the home of terrible sea monsters 
ready to swallow any ship daring enough to venture 
among them. 

Disappointments — Years passed by. One hot summer 
day two travelers, foot-sore and dust-stained, stopped for 
food and rest at the gate of a convent a few miles from the 
town of Palos, Spain. One of the strangers was a man 
of tall figure and thoughtful face, the other a boy about 
eight years of age. The travelers were Christopher 



THE FINDING OF AMERICA 



Columbus and his son, Diego. They were welcomed to 
the convent, and in answer to the questions of the kind 
priest, Columbus told his story. His young wife had 
died soon after the birth of his son. Endeavoring to 
carry out his plan of sailing westward to India, and find- 
ing himself too poor to hire ships and men for the voy- 
age, he had applied to the king of Portuga' for help. 




COLUMBUS AT Tl[l-: COURT OF SPAIN. 

The king listened to his plan, but declared his ideas 
foolish fancies. Columbus had then visited Spain, and 
asked King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella to aid him in 
his plan. But the people of Spain were in the midst of 
a great war, and no one would listen to poor Columbus. 
Disappointed and almost heartbroken, he and his little 
son were leaving the country; hunger and weariness 
forced them to stop at the convent. 



10 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



Help at Last — The prior, or director of the convent, 
was dee])!}' interested in the story of Cokimbus and de- 
termined to do his best to help him. He introduced 
Cokim1)iis to the rich shipowners of Palos, and, best of 
all, secured for him a meeting with the queen. To Queen 
Isabella Columbus showed his maps and charts, and 
explained his plan of reaching India by sailing west- 
ward. He begged her to 
aid him. The good queen 
was so impressed with the 
story that she declared she 
would pledge her jewels if 
necessary to provide ships 
for the voyage. By the 
aid of the queen and of two 
rich sea captains of Palos, 
three small ships were 
secured. But the troubles 
of Cokmibus were not yet 
over. His next difficulty 
was in getting sailors to 
manage his ships. No one 
had ever before dared to sail straight out toward the mid- 
dle of the Atlantic, and the boldest sailors were afraid 
to attempt it. After nuich delay a few sailors were 
induced bv promises of reward to join the expedition. 
To fill out the necessary number, some men had to be ar- 
rested and forced into service by the king's order. 

The Voyage. — A crowd of weeping wives, mothers, 
sisters, and friends came down to the shore to say good- 
bye to the daring sailors, ^\■hom they feared they would 




THE MAYFLOWER. 



THE FINDING OF AMERICA 



II 



never, see again. Leaving the harbor of Palos, Spain, 
CoKimbus with his three ships sailed southwest, and 
touched at the Canary Islands (see map). These is- 
lands then, as now, belonged to Spain, and were the 
farthest lands to the west then known. On leaving the 
Canaries, Columbus steered straight toward the setting 
sun. As the men saw the shores fade from view a 
feeling of dread came over them at the thought of the 
unknown dangers ahead. Many a sailor would have 
given everything he possessed to be safe back in the 
harbor at Palos. Columbus had no fears. Firm in his 
belief in the roundness of the earth, he felt certain of 
success. His cheerfulness and hopefulness calmed the 
fears of his men. 

Land Discovered. — As weeks passed by and no land 
was seen, the fears of the sailors returned. They talked 
of refusing to obey Columbus, and of taking charge of 




MAI' Ul" LULUMBUS'S ROUTE ON HIS GREAT VOYAGE. 



the ships themselves and sailing back home. Two 
months passed by, and at last signs of land began to ap- 
pear. Flocks of land birds flew over the ships, the breeze 
had an odor of flowers, a branch with berries on it floated 
1)y. The sailors now remained awake all night, each 



12 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

eager to get the reward promised to the one who should 
be the first to see land. A little before daylight one 
morning the firing of a gun on one of the ships an- 
nounced the joyful tidings that land had been seen. At 
once the ships stopped, and awaited the dawn. 

The Landing. — The morning sunlight revealed a beau- 
tiful island. Beyond its white sandy beach Columbus 
saw luxuriant grass, and tall palm trees surrounding a 




COLUMBUS CLAIMING THE LAND i'UU l-LRDIX \\U AND ISABELLA. 



sparkling lake. Strange, red-skinned people, their 
naked bodies painted in bright colors, came crowding to 
the shore, jabbering excitedly to each other, as they 
pointed to the pale-faced strangers and their white- 
winged ships. Dressed in his finest clothes, Columbus 



THE FINDING OF AMERICA 1 3 

landed, and as he stepped upon the shore he kneeled down 
and returned thanks to God. Rising from his knees, he 
raised the flag of Spain, thus claiming the land for King 
Ferdinand and Queen Isabella. This was Friday, 
October 12, 1492. 

Was It India? — Columbus was sure the new land was 
one of the islands which he had read lay just east of the 
coast of India. He was confident that the mainland of 
India was close at hand. His heart thrilled with joy 
and pride as he thought that now his years of persevering 
efifort, weary waiting, and bitter disappointment were 
at last crowned with glorious success. No more would 
people laugh at him and say he was crazy. His belief 
in the roundness of the earth had been proven, for he 
had done what many of the wisest men of his time had 
declared impossible — by sailing west he had discovered 
(as he believed) a water route to India. Filled with 
thankfulness to God, he named the island San Salvador, 
which in our language means Holy Saviour. We know 
now that this island, San Salvador, is one of the Ba- 
hama group lying southeast of Florida, and that to reach 
India, had there been no land in his way, Columbus 
would have had to sail more than twice as far as he 
had already gone. Before returning home Columbus 
discovered a number of other islands, among them Cuba 
and Hayti. These large islands he supposed to be the 
mainland of India, and accordingly the Spaniards called 
the group the West Indies, a name they have ever since 
borne. For the same reason the people who inhabited 
them were called Indians. 

Home Again — One of the three ships in which Colum- 



14 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



bus sailed was wrecked off the coast of Hayti, Imt for- 
timatel}' all on board were saved. After a stormy voy- 
age the two remaining ships reached the harbor of Palos, 
whence they had set out just seven months and twelve 

days before. The news that Co- 
^^g^L lumbus had returned quickly 

^ ^^^H spread from house to house, 

and we may be sure there was 
great rejoicing in the little 
town of Palos. An eager, joyous 
crowd now hurried to the shore to 
greet their friends whom they had 
given up for lost. Tears of joy 
were shed, and there were looks 
of wonder at the strange men and 
birds and plants that Columbus 
brought back from the Western 
world. Instead of a poor wander- 
er, Columbus was now the "Great 
Admiral," and people who once 
laughed at him and his plans were 
anxious to show him honor. The 
king and queen welcomed him as 
if he had been a prince. Preparations were made at 
once to send out a large expedition to build a city and 
firmly establish the power of Spain in her new posses- 
sions. 

Other Voyages. Columbus Arrested — Columbus found 
no trouble in getting sailors to accompany him on his 
second voyage to the West. This time he discovered 
the island of Jamaica and numerous smaller islands. He 




NORTH AAlliRICAN 
INDIAN. 



THE FINDING OF AMERICA 



15 



founded a city in Hayti, which he named Isaheha, after 
the queen. Two other voyages wTre made l)y him, dur- 
ing- which he discovered the northern coast of South 
America (1498). The Spaniards who accompanied 
Columhus, however, were jealous 
of him because he was a native 
of a different country from them- 
selves. No doubt he made some 
mistakes in his government. 
Some disliked him for this rea- 
son, others hated him because he 
forced them to obey his orders. 
So his enemies began to send 
word to the king that Columbus 
was guilty of unjust and wicked 
acts. He returned to Spain and 
proved his innocence of the 
charo-es agfainst him. But the 

. , 1 r 11 OUEEN ISABELLA. 

Stones were repeated, and hnally 

the great admiral was arrested and sent back in chains. 
As soon as Queen Isabella saw him, however, she was so 
moved with pity that she burst into tears, and ordered 
him to be released. 

Troubles in His Old Age — On his return from his 
fourth voyage Columbus found his good friend, Queen 
Isabella, dying. He himself was now a feeble old man 
of nearly seventy. King Ferdinand treated him with 
coldness. The people who had crowded around him to 
shout his praises on his return from his first voyage now 
hardly spoke to him as he passed. Homeless and friend- 
less, he wrote to his son, "Oftentimes I have not the 




1 6 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



money to pay for a meal or a bed." A few months later 
death rehcvcd him of his troiil:)lcs. He died beheving 
that he had chscovercd the eastern shores of Asia. 

Burying Places of Columbus.— The body of Columbus 
was first buried in Spain. Afterward, according to a 
wish he expressed before his death, his remains were 
removed to Hayti. Many years later, when Hayti was 
given to France, Spanish officers took what they sup- 
posed were the bones of Columbus to Cuba, and buried 
them at Havana. (By mistake, it may have been the 
bones of Columbus's son, Diego, that were removed.) 
After our Spanish War, when Spain had to give up 
Cuba, the supposed remains of Columbus were again re- 
moved. This time they were taken back to Spain and 
placed in the cathedral of Seville. 

Success Through Failure — Wt know that he had failed 
in the great purpose of his life, yet Columbus did what 

was of far more 
benefit to mankind 
than the most com- 
plete success of his 
plan would have 
been. The discov- 
ery of the great con- 
tinent on which we 

LAND DISCOVERED BY COLUMLUS hyC WaS OUt of tllC 

most important events in the history of the world. 
Four hundred years have passed since his great deed 
was done, yet to-day the name of Columbus is known and 
honored all over the world. 




Tell about Marco Polo and his travels. What was the effect of the 
accounts he gave of India? What plan did Columbus form? What 



THE FINDING OF AMERICA 17 

did people think of his plan? Tell about the two travelers who 
stopped at the convent gate. How did the prior of the convent help 
Columbus ? How were ships and sailors obtained ? Tell of the be- 
ginning of the voyage and the first stop ; the direction Columbus then 
took. What did the frightened sailors think of doing? Tell of the 
discovery of land. Describe the land and the people Columbus saw 
from his ship. Tell about his landing. What did Columbus believe 
the new land to be? What do we now know it to be? What other 
land did Columbus discover on this voyage ? Explain the names 
"San Salvador," "West Indies," and "Indians." Tell about the home- 
ward voyage of Columbus. How was he received by the people of 
Spain? By the king and queen? How many other voyages did he 
make? What lands did he discover? Why was he disliked? What 
harsh treatment did he suffer? How did Queen Isabella show her 
friendship? Tell about the troubles of his old age; his burying 
places. What purpose did he fail to accomplish ? What can you 
say of the importance of what he did accomplish? 

THE PEOPLE WHOM COLUMBUS FOUND 

America Not a New Land. — We niitst not forget that 
there were people hving in America long before Colum- 
bus touched these shores. The land was called "the new 
world" only because it was new to European eyes. To 
the people whom Columbus found here, the country was 
an old land — the home of their fathers and grandfathers 
through many generations past. 

The First Americans. — Thinking the newly discovered 
land to be India, Columbus called these first Americans 
Indians. In appearance they were different from any 
other people whom the white explorers had ever seen. 
Their skin was of a red or copper color, they had high 
cheek bones and long, straight hair. The men had no 
beard. The clothing of the Indians was scanty, and was 
made from the tanned skins of wild animals. Their feet 
were protected by soft shoes called moccasins. Their 



1 8 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



bodies were straight, their movements active and grace- 
ful. 

Their Homes — Their houses were crude log buildings , 
or tents (called wigwams), made of skins or bark 
stretched over poles. They owned no land separately. 
Certain regions were claimed as the hunting grounds 
of the tribe. A family would cultivate a piece of land 
one year and might the next year abandon it for a more 
favorable location ; the land was so abundant that owner- 
ship was not necessary. They had no churches, schools 
or shops, no horses or cattle. They supported them- 
selves by hunting, fishing, and by a rude form of garden- 
ing or farming. Corn and potatoes, two of the most 

valuable food crops of the 
world to-day, were first cul- 
tivated by the Indians. 
Beans, peas, pumpkins and 
melons were also developed 
by them from wild plants, 
and tobacco is an Indian 
plant. The cultivation of 
the soil and most of the 
hard work of the home was 
(lone by the women. 

Indian Education Al- 
though the Indians had no 
INDIAN GIRL GRINDING CORN, s c h o o 1 s their children 
learned many things not found in books. The girls 
learned to crush grains of corn by pounding or rub- 
bing them with stones; then to make the meal into 
bread which was baked as "hoe-cakes" in the ashes 




THE FINDING OF AMERICA 19 

or upon hot rocks; they learned to dress and cook 
the fish, and the buffalo, deer, birds and other game 
brought home by men and boys. The boys learned how 
to make canoes — light boats made of bark or hollowed 
logs — and paddle them skillfully through the dangerous 
rapids. They learned how to make bows and arrows 
and to shoot the arrows with unerring aim. They 
learned some lessons that every boy and girl who reads 
this book should learn: one was to bear pain without a 
murmur; another was to. make good use of their eyes 
and ears in observing the trees, plants, birds, animals 
and all other objects of nature around them. The poet 
Longfellow, writing of the Indian boy, Hiawatha, tells 
us : 

Then the little Hiawatha 
Learned of every bird its language, 
Learned their names and all their secrets, 
How they built their nests in summer, 
Where they hid themselves in winter. 
Of all the beasts he learned their language, 
Learned their names and all their secrets, 
How the beavers built their lodges, 
Where the squirrels hid their acorns. 
How the reindeer ran so swiftly, 
Why the rabbit was so timid. 
Talked with them whene'er he met them, 
Called them "Hiawatha's brothers." 

Indian Wars — The Indians greeted the first Euro- 
pean explorers with kindness. They thought the pale- 
faced strangers were messengers from the gods. But 
the white settlers were not always careful of the Indians' 
rights. Each explorer, following the example of Co- 
lumbus, proceeded to claim for his king the region which 



20 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

he had discovered, forgetting that the land had been the 
home of the Indians for hundreds of years. Soon 
the Indians came to view the whites with suspicion and 
the whites learned to look upon the Indians with hatred. 
On both sides cruel deeds were done. In many parts 
of the country there were long and bloody wars. The 
Indians fought with bows and arrows, tomahawks 
(stone hatchets) and scalping knives. In later years 
they used guns which they bought from white traders. 
These Indian wars cost many precious lives, and re- 
tarded the growth of the white settlements. 

Some Famous Indians — Among the Indians of early 
American history were several whose names have be- 
come famous. Some of these were chiefs noted for 
their wise control of their tribes in time of peace or their 
skillful leadership in time of war. Other Indians are 
remembered for the great help they gave to the white 
settlers. Some of the famous Indians you will read 
about in this book are Powhatan and Pocahontas in 
Virginia, Tomochichi in Georgia, Massasoit and King 
Philip in Massachusetts, and Sequoyah in Tennessee and 
Oklahoma. You may turn to the pages that tell al)out 
these Indians (see index at the back of the book) and 
read the paragraphs referring to them. 

The Indians To-day. — The first white settlers who 
came to this country occupied the land along the At- 
lantic coast. They cut down trees, built fences, planted 
crops, made homes. As the Europeans came in in- 
creasing numbers, the Indians were gradually driven 
westward before the advancing line of white settlements. 
While the number of whites increased the number of 



THE FINDING OF AMERICA 21 

red men grew smaller. Wars among themselves, as 
well as with the settlers, cut them down by hundreds. 
Diseases like smallpox were often more fatal than wars. 
There are now within the limits of the United States 
about two hundred and fifty thousand Indians — only 
half as many, it is thought, as were here in the days 
of Columbus. Most Indians are found scattered 
through states west of the Mississippi River. For 
years many tribes were supported by the United States 
Government ; but that is no longer the case ; indeed, many 
hundreds of them have become educated, patriotic, self- 
supporting citizens of our common country. In almost 
every department of our national government, from the 
United States Senate down, Indian brains are perform- 
ing their share of national duties. 

SOME RESULTS OF COLUMP.US'S DISCOVERIES 

The Mainland First Discovered The news of the dis- 
coveries of Columbus soon spread from Spain to other 
countries. Now that the brave Columbus had shown 
the way across the terrible ocean many other sailors 
were eager to sail toward the west in the hope of either 
finding the gold fields of India or of discovering some 
new land. While Columbus was preparing for his third 
voyage, John Cabot — an Italian sailor living in England 
— ^^was studying maps and tracing on them the route Co- 
lumbus was reported to have taken. He came to the 
conclusion that he could find a shorter route to India 
than Columbus had found. Accordingly he obtained 
permission from King Henry the Seventh, of England, 
to make the attempt. Some English merchants furnished 



22 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

him with one smah ship and eighteen men, in return for 
which he agreed to share with them the gold and spices 
he expected to find. Taking a more northerly course 
than Columbus had taken, he reached the icy and bar- 
ren shores of what is now called Labrador (1497). 
This was a year before Columbus discovered the main- 
land of South America, so to Cabot belongs the honor 
of being the first to reach the continent. The next year, 
John Cabot's son, Sebastian, set sail with a larger expe- 
dition, and explored the coast of the continent from 
Labrador to the great bay since named Chesapeake. 
The Cabots claimed for England the land they had dis- 
covered. Like Columbus, they thought they had 
reached Asia. As they did not find the riches of In- 
dia, the English for a long time took no further interest 
in western voyages. 

The Coming of the French — \Mien the Cabots re- 
turned from their voyages they reported that the waters 
off the northern shores they had visited fairly swarmed 
with fish, so that at times their ships were delayed by 
them. To the hardy fishermen of northern France good 
fishing grounds were more attractive than gold mines or 
spice fields. So they at once steered their little fishing 
boats toward the wonderful fish-swarming waters. In 
a few years the banks of Newfoundland were frequented 
by French fishing vessels, and a profitable fur trade be- 
tween the fishermen and the Indians sprang up. In 
this way the claim of the French to this part of America 
began. 

The Naming of the Continent. — Columbus called the 
islands which he first discovered the West Indies, and for 



THE FINDING OF AMERICA 23 

a long time the continent was known as Asia or India, 
When the people of Europe at last found out that the new 
land was a separate continent, and not a part of Asia, a 
new name had to be chosen for it. Americus Vespucius 
was an Italian sailor who accompanied Columbus on 
some of his voyages, and was afterward employed by 
the king of Portugal. Americus, while sailing in a Por- 
tuguese ship, explored the coast of what is now Brazil 
far enough southward to prove that this land was not 
a part of Asia. When he returned to Europe he pub- 
lished an account of the country he had visited, declar- 
ing it to be a new continent. This was the first printed 
description of the newly discovered lands. It was widely 
read and made Americus famous. A German profes- 
sor, after reading Americus's book, wrote a geography, 
in which he suggested that the new continent discovered 
by Americus be called America in his honor. Soon 
afterward, on the rude maps of that time, the name, 
America, appeared on what we now call South America, 
North America being still considered a part of Asia. 
When finally the northern continent was found to be 
joined to its southern neighbor, and equally as separate 
from Asia, the name America was given to both. 

The "Land of Flowers" Discovered The Indians 

who lived on the West India Islands believed that some- 
where in the lands west of them was a spring that pos- 
sessed the magic power of making forever young any 
one who should bathe in its waters. Among the Span- 
ish settlers who heard and believed this story was a 
rich old man named Ponce de Leon, who had once been 
governor of Porto Rico, and who still made his home on 



24 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

that island. De Leon was unhappy because he was 
growing old and feeble, and he often longed for the 
strength of his youthful days. At his own expense he 
fitted out two ships to go in search of the wonderful 




DE LEON ON THE FLORIDA COAST. 



fountain the Indians talked about. After visiting 
several small islands, his ships one day arrived at the 
coast of the most beautiful land that De Leon had 
ever seen (1513). To the wondering Spaniards it 
looked like a great flower garden, with its blossoming 



THE FINDING OF AMERICA 25 

trees and flowering plants, over which luxuriant vines 
gracefully twined themselves, while the air was filled 
with the music of song birds and the fragrance of 
flowers. A land of perpetual youth, indeed, it seemed 
to be! De Leon and his men disembarked, and began 
their search for the fabled fountain. Many lovely 
springs they found, into whose waters the old man 
eagerly plunged; but every bath left him still wrinkled 
and gray as before. In despair he at last returned to 
his ships and sailed away. De Leon named this beau- 
tiful land Florida, partly because he had discovered it 
on Easter Sunday — which is "Pascua Florida" in Span- 
ish — and partly because it was indeed a land of flowers. 
The king of Spain appointed him governor of Florida, 
and he returned with a number of ships to take posses- 
sion of the country. The Indians attacked his men, and 
De Leon was wounded by a poisoned arrow. Thus the 
old man received his death wound in the beautiful land 
of flowers where he had hoped to find immortal youth. 
His discovery of Florida, however, gave his country- 
men, the Spaniards, a claim to this part of the mainland 
of North America. 

De Soto's Search for Gold — About twenty years after 
the death of Ponce de Leon another company of Span- 
iards landed on the coast of Florida. Their leader was 
Ferdinand de Soto. His purpose was to search for and 
seize the great stores of gold which he believed were to 
be found in some great Indian city in the west. With 
his army of six hundred men De Soto left his ships and 
plunged into the forests toward the northwest. His fol- 
lowers treated the Indians most cruelly, binding their 



26 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

necks with iron collars and their hands with chains. For 
months the Spaniards w^andered onward, passing many 
IncHan villages. But the rich city of which De Soto 
dreamed was as hard to find as De Leon's fountain of 
youth. 

The Great River. Death of De Soto. — At last (1541) 
they came to a mighty river, the largest stream their 
eyes had ever beheld. Mississippi, or Great River, the 



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Dli SOTO REACHES THE MISSISSH'I'I RIVER. 



Indians called it. "Great River," indeed, it seemed to 
the Spaniards, for a mile of rushing water separated 
them from the opposite bank. They made some rafts 
and crossed the river. But now De Soto was taken 
with fever and died. His followers knew that the In- 
dians feared their fierce leader, and they determined not 
to let his death be known. So they carried his body 
by night in a boat to the middle of the river and buried 



THE FINDING OF AMERICA 27 

it in the water. The death of De Soto completely dis- 
couraged his men. They beat the iron chains of their 
captives into nails and made some rafts. Then they 
floated down the Mississippi, and at last reached a Span- 
ish settlement on the Gulf of Mexico. Half of their 
brave company had perished in their five years' wander- 
ings. 

The First Voyage Around the World When Euro- 
pean sailors realized that the western land was not a 
part of Asia, they set to work to seek a passage for 
their ships through the midst of it or around it, hop- 
ing to carry out the plan of Columbus to find a western 
water route to India. Ferdinand ^Magellan, a native of 
Portugal, started from Spain, and crossing the Atlantic, 
passed around the southern extremity of South America. 
He called the great ocean upon which he then found 
himself the Pacific (peaceful), because its waters seemed 
so calm after the stormy Atlantic. He crossed this 
great ocean and reached the Philippine Islands. Land- 
ing here, Magellan was killed in a battle with the natives. 
His men continued the voyage, sailed through the In- 
dian Ocean, around the southern end of Africa, and 
northward to Spain. It took just three years and 
twenty-eight days to make this first voyage around the 
world. The shape of the earth was now settled beyond 
a doubt (1522). 

Three Nations of Europe Claim North America It 

was Columbus's successful voyage across the Atlantic 
that led to the discoveries of John Cabot and of others 
about whom we have been studying. If Columbus had 
lived fourteen years longer than he did, he would have 



28 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

learned from the reports of Americus Vespucius that 
South America is not a part of Asia, and he would have 
heard with delight that Magellan's sailors had proved 
the truth of his belief in the roundness of the earth. 
By this time, too, he would have seen that three Euro- 
pean nations had begun to claim the northern continent. 
Spain claimed the southern part, including the West In- 
dia Islands and Florida; France, the region around the 
Gulf of St. Lawrence; England, the part of the con- 
tinent north of Florida, including France's claim. 

Tell about John Cabot and his plan. His voyage and discovery. 
Of the voyage of Sebastian Cabot. For what nation did the Cabots 
claim the land? How did the English regard it? Tell about the 
coming of the first Frenchman to America. Tell of Americus Ves- 
pucius and his voyages. How was his name given to the continent ? 
Tell the story of Ponce de Leon. Tell of De Soto's wanderings and 
death. What became of his men? Tell about the first voyage around 
the world. What two geographical questions that had puzzled Co- 
lumbus were settled soon after his death ? What European nations 
began to claim North America? What parts of the continent did 
they claim? 



CHAPTER II 



Making Homes in the New Land 
Walter Raleigh 

The Search for Gold — The first Europeans who came 
to America expected to find the gold of India, but Amer- 
ica was found to be a great continent blocking the way 
to India. Everybody then 
believed that this new land 
was full of gold, if he only 
knew where to look for it. 
So in a search for gold ad- 
venturers from Europe wan- 
dered through our pathless 
forests and over our great 
plains, climbed mountains and 
waded rivers. Some perished 
of hunger or died of fever, yet 
the survivors continued the 
mad, uncertain search. It 
seems strange to us that it took the men of that time so 
long to see that the New World offered surer ways of 
earning a living, and even of getting rich, than by hunt- 
ing for gold. There were the great trees of the forests, 
of which houses could be built; there was the rich soil, 
ready to reward the plowman's toil with bountiful crops ; 
there were the swift-running streams, ready to turn the 

29 




WALTER RALEIGH. 



30 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



wheels of machinery for mills and factories. For a 
long" time, however, the idea that America was a great 
gold field completely filled people's minds. No rich man 
was willing to advance the money needed to transport 
farmers and mechanics to this country, and to furnish 
them with tools for the slow work of raising crops and 



btiilding homes. 



How the first English homes came to 







RALEIGH THROWING HIS CLOAK BEFORE THE QUEEN. 

be made in this country, and something of the troubles 
that befell them, our story will now tell. 

An Act of Politeness, and What Came of It — Queen 
Elizabeth of England was a granddaughter of the King 
Henry who had given permission to John Cabot to sail 
to the western lands. Queen Elizabeth came to the 
throne while a young woman, and during her long reign 
proved to be one of the wisest rulers England ever had. 



MAKING HOMES IN THE NEW LAND 3 1 

One day when the queen and several line ladies of her 
court were out for a walk they came to a muddy place 
in the path. It happened that at this moment a young 
man wearing a handsome red velvet cloak was passing. 
He saw the queen looking anxiously around, uncer- 
tain where to step. Springing forward, he threw his 
beautiful cloak on the ground before her, thus enabling 
her majesty to continue her walk without danger of soil- 
ing her royal shoes. This act of politeness so pleased 
the queen that she invited Walter Raleigh (for this was 
the young man's name) to her court, and became his firm 
friend. 

Raleigh's Plan, and How the Queen Helped Him 

Walter Raleigh was not only a polite and handsome 
courtier, but he was one of the most learned and thought- 
ful men of his time. Nearly a hundred years had passed 
since the Cabots had discovered the mainland of North 
America and claimed it for England ; yet in all this time 
Englishmen had thought little about the new land, and 
had made no effort to occupy it. Raleigh believed that 
his countrymen should take possession of the region 
which they claimed. Accordingly he asked permission 
of the queen to establish a settlement, or colony, upon 
any land in America not already occupied by any Chris- 
tian nation. Queen Elizabeth readily favored the plan 
of her gallant friend, and gave him a charter, or written 
permit, to govern the colony he should establish. 

Searching for a Place for a Colony. — At his own ex- 
pense Raleigh fitted out two ships with which to visit 
America and find a suitable place for a colony. He 
wished to accompany the expedition himself, but the 



32 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

queen was unwilling- for her- friend to risk his life in 
dangerous sea fights, so he remained at home. His 
ships reached what is now the eastern coast of North 
Carolina. The men were delighted with the new land. 
They found grapes in abundance, "sweet-smelling timber 
trees," beautiful song birds, and ''gentle, loving, and 
faithful" natives. They spent some time trading with 
the Indians, but did not try to make a settlement. They 
returned to England carrying with them a cargo of furs 
and wood (1584). 

Raleig-h's First Settlement. — Queen Elizabeth was 
much pleased with the accounts given by Raleigh's 

sailors of the land 
they had visited, 
which they de- 
clared to be the 
"most plentiful, 
sweet, fruitful, and 
wholesome of all 
the world." The 
country was called 
Virginia, in honor 
of Elizabeth, the 
virgin, or unmarried, queen. With the aid of the queen 
Raleigh fitted out a larger expedition consisting this time 
of seven ships and over one hundred colonists. They 
landed on an island now known as Roanoke Island, not 
far from the one visited by Raleigh's ships the year be- 
fore, and made a settlement there (1585). Instead of 
setting to work to supply themselves with food by culti- 
vating the soil, the colonists wandered over the country 




WHERE RALEIGH S SETTLEMENT WAS MADE. 



MAKING HOMES IN THE NEW LAND 33 

searching for pearls and gold, which they never found. 
They treated the Indians harshly, and the red men, who 
at first had been friendly, refused to supply them with 
food, and even threatened to attack the settlement. 
Working but little, the colonists devoted their idle mo- 
ments to thinking and talking over their troubles. Of 
course they grew homesick. A fleet of ships stopped 
there on its way to England, and the colonists begged so 
earnestly to be taken aboard that the sailors could not re- 
fuse, and all of them were taken home. 

Raleigh's Last Attempt — But Raleigh was not dis- 
couraged. The year after the return of his colonists 
he sent out another company under Governor White. 
They occupied the deserted houses on Roanoke Island. 
In one of these log cabins was born a little baby girl, 
the first child born of English parents in America. She 
was the granddaughter of Governor White, and was 
named Virginia Dare. A short time after the baby was 
born her grandfather, the governor, had to go back to 
England for needed supplies. He found the people of 
England in the midst of a war with Spain, and he was 
unable to return to his colony for three years. When 
he returned to Roanoke he could find no trace of his little 
granddaughter nor her parents, nor any of the other 
colonists. What became of them? Had they all been 
killed by the Indians; or had they been taken prisoners 
by the savages and carried away to live among them; 
or had they wandered away from the settlement and 
been lost and starved to death in the dense woods; or 
had they been drowned while attempting, in rude boats 
of their own making, to return to England? To this 




SIR WALTER RALEIGH ORDERING THE STANDARD OF QUEEN ELIZA- 
BETH TO BE ERECTED ON THE COAST OF VIRGINIA. 



MAKING HOMES IN THE NEW LAND 



35 



day no one knows what became of little Virginia Dare 
and her parents, and probably no one will ever know. 
Raleigh would have been glad to send out another com- 
pany of colonists, but he had spent so much money in 
hiring ships and buying supplies for his settlers that he 
could not afford to make another attempt. 

Some Things Raleigh's Colonists Took Back to Eng- 
land. — The settlers on Roanoke Island had noticed the 
Indians rolling up the broad 
leaves of a weed and smok- 
ing them, and they were 
told by the red men that it 
would keep them from get- 
ting hungry and tired. The 
white men tried it and were 
so well pleased that they 
brought some of the leaves 
home and gave them to Ra- 
leigh. Raleigh distributed 
them among his friends. 
The queen smoked some 
of them, and soon tobacco 
smoking became popular 
in England. They also 
brought home a root called by the Indians "botah," which 
was good to eat when boiled or baked. Raleigh had some 
of these "botah roots" planted on his land in Ireland. 
His neighbors liked them so well that before long nearly 
every farm in Ireland raised a crop, and the root be- 
came known to the people of Europe as the Irish potato. 

Last Days of Raleigh.— At this time Spanish ships 




TOBACCO PLANT. 



36 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

brought to Spain each year many cargoes of gold from 
Mexico and South America. Raleigh caught the "gold 
fever," and fitted out some ships that visited the north- 
ern coast of South America. Raleigh himself led the 
expedition, but he found no gold. Now troubles came 
thick upon him. His good friend, Queen Elizabeth, 
died; the new king, James I, did not like Raleigh, because 
he thought Raleigh had tried to prevent him from be- 
coming king. So he took away Sir Walter's offices, and 
finally put him in prison. He was tried for treason, 
or plotting against the king, and was sentenced to death. 
For twelve years, however, he was kept in prison, and 
he occupied his time during those dreary years writing 
a great book called The History of tJie World. The 
king released him from prison that he might make an- 
other voyage to South America in search of gold. 
Raleigh knew that if he should bring back a rich trea- 
sure for the king he would no doubt be freed from the 
unjust sentence of death that had been passed upon him, 
and that if he failed he would probably have to die. But 
the Spaniards seemed to be the only ones who were able 
to find gold. Raleigh's only son, young Walter, who 
accompanied him, was killed in a battle with the Span- 
iards in South America. Brokenhearted, the old man 
sailed back to England, where he was at once thrown 
into prison again, and soon afterward put to death. 

What We Owe to Raleigh — Raleigh's attempts to find 
gold in South America were miserable failures, and 
brousfht no o-ood to him or to his countrvmen. His at- 
tempts to establish a colony in his land of Virginia, 
though disappointments to him, were the beginning of 



MAKING HOMES IN THE NEW LAND 37 

the English occupation of North America. He was the 
first Enghshman who tried to induce his people to make 
homes in the New World, where they should be allowed 
just laws and the same rights they had enjoyed at home. 
While he failed to carry out his great plan himself, yet 
he set the people to thinking and talking about it, so 
that before he died his idea was carried out by other 
Englishmen, and the fair land of Virginia was occupied 
by English settlers. 

So Walter Raleigh's efforts to establish a colony in 
Virginia, like Columbus's efforts to fintl a western route 
to Asia, resulted in great good to those who lived after 
him. 

In later years the people of North Carolina named 
the capital city of their State, Raleigh, in honor of the 
man who had started the idea of English colonies in 
America. 

Tell about the search for gold in America. How did this delay the 
settlement of the country? Who was Queen Elizabeth? Tell about 
Walter Raleigh's act of politeness. W^ho first claimed North America 
for England? What was Raleigh's plan? What did Queen Elizabeth 
think of it? For what purpose did Raleigh's ships first sail to Amer- 
ica? Tell about the land visited. What name was given to it? Tell 
of Raleigh's second expedition. What caused the failure of this 
settlement? Tell about Raleigh's last attempt to make a settlement. 
(What do you suppose became of the settlers?) How were tobacco 
and the potato introduced into England? What troubles befell Ra- 
leigh in his old age? (What two queens helped in the discovery and 
exploration of America ? Compare the last days of Columbus and 
Raleigh.) What good resulted from Raleigh's failures? What place 
is named for him? 



CHAPTER III 

Virginia and Her Neighbors 

John Smith — Virginia 

john smith helps to found a colony 

A Successor to Raleigh Appears. — \\'altcr Raleigh 
sent live expeditions to look for his lost colony. But 
^_ they searched the Virginia 

woods in vain for traces of little 
\^irginia Dare and her people. 
Raleigh himself was now in 
prison, and it looked as if his 
hopeful saying that he ''would 
yet live to see Virginia an Eng- 
lish nation" W'Ould never come 
true. About this time, how- 
ever, there appeared in Eng- 
land, after a long absence on 
the continent of Europe, a 
young soldier who was destined 
a few years later to carry out Raleigh's plan. 

His Life of Adventure. — This young man. twenty-five 
years old, bore the name of John Smith. His mother 
died when he was an infant. As soon as he was old 
enough to leave home little John was sent to a boarding 
school. But he was too restless and mischievous to be 

38 




CAPTAIN JOIIN SMITH. 



VIRGINIA AND HER NEIGHBORS 39 

a good pnpil. He was planning to run away and be- 
come a sailor when the death of his father put an end to 
his school days. John w^as then set to work as a clerk 
in a store. But the life of a clerk was as distasteful 
to his restless spirit as the restraints of school had been. 
He left his native land, and became a soldier in wars 
against the Turks. We are told that once, while the 
opposing armies looked on, he overcame three Turks in 
single combat, and, like David, cut off their heads and 
carried them to his tent. He was taken prisoner and 
made to work as a slave with a great iron ring riveted 
about his neck; but he killed his cruel master and es- 
caped. He returned to England at a time when peopk 
were still talking about Raleigh's lost colony. 

America Attracts Him — At the taverns, or hotels, 
which Captain Smith visited he met many other travel- 
ers, some of whom had just returned from the shores of 
America, and had many stories to tell of what they had 
seen in the New World. One of these American voy- 
agers was a man named Gosnold, an experienced sea 
captain, who had visited the northern shores of Vir- 
ginia. Gosnold told Smith so much of the beauty and 
fertility of the western land that Smith was eager to 
visit it. So the two (Gosnold and Smith) decided to 
collect the vessels, men, and equipment necessary to cross 
the ocean, and establish a settlement. Some rich mer- 
chants of the cities of London and Plymouth were per- 
suaded to form trading companies. Two were formed ; 
one was called the London Company, the other the Ply- 
mouth Company, and these companies agreed to furnish 
the money for the undertaking in return for a share in 



40 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



the profits that were expected from the trade of the pro- 
posed settlement. 

He Sails to Virginia. — One beautiful spring morning, 
not long after these events, three ships came in sight of 
the American coast, and entered the waters of a great 
bay that opens into the Atlantic, some distance north of 
the place where Raleigh's men had made their unlucky 
settlement twenty years before. These ships, as you may 
have guessed, bore Captain John Smith and Captain 
Gosnold. With them were a hundred men sent out by 
the London Company to establish a 
settlement in Raleigh's land of Vir- 
ginia. They coasted along 
the shores of this bay until 
they came to the mouth of a 
large river. (Find on map 
the name of this bay). 
Sailing up the stream, they 
finally anchored their ships 
close to a little peninsula on 
the north bank of the river. Here they landed, unloaded 
their stores of provisions, tools, and other supplies, and 
set to work. Some put up tents; other cut down trees 
with which to build a fort to protect them from the In- 
dians. They named this settlement Jamestown, in honor 
of King James I, at that time king of England. The 
river they called King's River, or James River. This 
was in the year 1607. 

The' Captain in Trouble — When the company landed, 
among their number was one man held as prisoner by his 
companions. Strange to say, this prisoner was none 




SETTLEMENTS IN VIRGINIA. 



VIRGINIA AND HER NEIGHBORS 4I 

Other than Captain John Smith, despite the fact that the 
London Company had appointed him one of the five men 
who were to govern the colony. Soon after the voyage 
began he had been arrested on the charge of planning to 
make himself king of Virginia. No doubt the other 
leaders were jealous of him, and no doubt, too. Smith had 
increased their jealousy by talking too much and too 
boastfully of his past adventures. On reaching Virginia 
his enemies wanted to get rid of him by sending him back 
to England. Smith demanded a trial, and a jury of 
twelve of his fellow-colonists declared him innocent and 
set him free. Moreover, they sentenced his principal ac- 
cusers to pay the worthy captain a fine of $1,000 for their 
unjust treatment of him. 

Working- and Praying — A Good Beginning The log 

fort was soon completed, and then the men set to work on 
their own cabins, many of them sleeping meanwhile in 
the open air under the trees in the pleasant May weather. 
They next began to clear the land, and prepare the soil 
for a corn crop. Each morning and evening they as- 
sembled in a rude tent which served as a church, and here, 
with a board nailed between two trees as his pulpit, the 
minister read the service of the Episcopal Church. 
Twice every Sunday they had preaching. In a short 
time a church building of logs took the place of the 
tent. 

Hot Weather Brings Sickness.— But troubles soon came 
thick and fast. The river bank where the settlement 
was made was low and marshy, and during the hot sum- 
mer days the colonists were stricken with fever. Our 
fever medicine, quinine, which comes from the bark of a 



42 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

South American tree, was not at that time known. One- 
half of the colonists died. Smith himself became ill, but 
he continued to nurse the sick, help bury the dead, and 
cheer the living. At last autumn came with its cool 
winds driving away the malaria and bringing back health 
and strength. 

Idleness Brings Hunger. — The supply of food brought 
by the colonists from England soon gave out. If all- the 
men had worked diligently cultivating the soil they would 
still have had an abundance to eat. But a large number 
of the settlers were not used to work at home, and they 
could not be induced to work here. Farming was too 
difficult and too slow to suit these idlers. They wanted 
to get rich quickly without work. So they spent most of 
their time wandering about looking for gold. Captain 
Smith and some of the others set an example of hard 
work, but in spite of their labor there was not food 
enough for all, and soon the colony was threatened with 
starvation. 

What efforts did Raleigh make to find his lost colony? What 
young- adventurer returned to England about this time? Tell about 
the boyhood of John Smith. What can you say of his life as a 
soldier? How did he become interested in America? What plan did 
Smith and Gosnold form? How were they enabled to carry out their 
plan? Tell about the voyage of the colonists and the beginning of 
their settlement. What trouble did Captain Smith get into while on 
his voyage to America? How did he get the best of his enemies? 
Tell about the daily occupations of the first colonists. What mis- 
fortune happened to them the first summer? Why were there so 
many idlers? What was the result of the idleness? 



MRGINIA AND HER NEIGHBORS 43 

JOHN SMITH SAVES VIRGINIA 

Captain Smith Makes a Corn Trade. — But John Smith 
was not wilhng- to starve. He led a force of men mto the 
Indian country to get a supply of corn from the savages. 
When the Indians refused to sell their grain Smith at- 
tacked them, and put them to flight. He captured their 
village, where he found plenty of corn. The Indians 
had all run awa}^ but by the ofl^er of beads and hatchets 
Smith induced six of them to return and load his boat 
They were so surprised by the boldness of the captain 
and so pleased with the beads and hatchets that they all 
came from their hiding places. Then they brought not 
only corn, but venison and turkey and whatever other 
food they had, singing and dancing in sign of friendship. 

The Captain Explores the Country, and Gets Stuck in 
the Mud. — A\'ith plenty of corn 'to supply their present 
needs, and w^ith an abundance of wild fowl brought by 
the cold weather, the spirits of the colonists rose, and for 
a time they forgot their troubles. Captain Smith now 
began to explore the Chesapeake Bay and the rivers flow- 
ing into it. One day he and several companions sailed 
up the Chickahominy River, looking for the Pacific 
Ocean. They thought America was a narrow strip of 
land, and never dreamed that it was as wide as the ocean 
w^hich separated them from England. Smith anchored 
his boat in the river, and with an Indian guide went into 
the woods to shoot some game for dinner. Suddenly he 
found himself surrounded by Indians whose dreadful 
yells were almost enough to make the stout-hearted cap- 
tain tremble. He determined to make a brave fight, 



44 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

however, and, holding- his Indian guide as a shield be- 
tween him and his enemies, he began backing toward the 
river where he had left his companions. An arrow 
struck him in the leg. Smith then fired his gun into the 
crowd, and one of the Indians fell to the ground. The 
rest fled, but soon returned, fiercer than before. As the 
captain continued to step backward he suddenly slipped 
up to his waist into a boggy creek, dragging his Indian 
guide with him. As he could not get out of the mud, and 
as he was growing numb with cold, he made signs that 
he would surrender. 

Caught at Last. — The Indians pulled their captive out 
of the bog and warmed him by the fire. Then they 
would have killed him, but he was smart enough to pre- 
sent the chief with his pocket compass. The quivering 
needle protected by its glass case aroused the wonder of 
the Indians, as they tried in vain to touch it with their 
fingers. Smith increased their wonder by writing a let- 
ter to his friends at Jamestown, asking them to send him 
certain things which he named. This letter was carried 
to the settlement by an Indian messenger, who soon re- 
turned with the articles Smith had asked for. The poor 
Indians were now overcome with amazement. "The 
white chief can make the dry leaf speak," they said. 
They were proud of their prisoner, and fed him so boun- 
tifully that the captain said afterward, "This plan of 
cramming me did sorely grieve me, for I surely thought 
they were about to fat me, in order to eat me." 

Saved by an Indian Girl. — Smith was led in triumph 
from one Indian village to another, until at length he was 
brought before the king of all the Indians in this region, 



VIRGINIA AND HER NEIGHBORS 



45 



Powhatan by name. Powhatan, dressed in a robe made 
of raccoon skins, and with feathers in his hair, was seated 
on a raised platform in a long, arbor-like house. By his 
order Smith was condemned to die. Tying his hands, 




d'^j/^ic^rloinaiioixi^iiey^xhslife his tha.nkfullne/s 
\ e nd how he J 'ubie-rled Z.9 of their kinfS r^f.^/iifhiy 



POCAHONTAS SAVING CAPTAIN SMITH, 

they laid the captain's head upon a great rock, and a 
powerful Indian, with uplifted club, stood ready to beat 
out his brains. At this moment Pocahontas, the chief's 
daughter, a maiden of twelve or thirteen years, ran for- 



46 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

ward and, bending- over the prisoner, look his head in 
her arms. Out of love for his daughter the old chief 
ordered the captive's life to be spared, and directed that 
he be put to work making bells, beads, and toys for little 
Pocahontas. 

The Captain Returns to Jamestown After several 

months of captivity King- Powhatan told Captain Smith 
he could return to Jamestown, but he must send back two 
cannons and a grindstone. Smith readily agreed to this. 
So he joyfully set out through the woods, accompanied 
by several guides who were to bring back the presents. 
To show them the power of a cannon, Smith, on reach- 
ing the settlement, ordered a shot hred into the ice-laden 
trees. At the roar of the cannon and the sight of the 
falling ice and broken branches the frightened savages 
took to their heels. When they returned they declared 
the cannons and grindstone w^ere too hea-vy to carry, and 
they accepted instead some beads and trinkets. 

Captain Smith Becomes Governor, and Makes Some 
New Laws. — The first rulers of Jamestown were unfit to 
govern the settlement. Two of them in succession were 
put out of office by the disgusted colonists. At last the 
settlers saw that their only hope was Captain Smith, so 
they made him take control of the colony. The captain 
ruled with a strong hand. He made a law that "he who 
will not work shall not eat," and men then began to 
work who had. never worked before. When the labor 
of swinging the ax blistered their tender hands they 
cursed so long and loud that ''at every third blow the echo 
was drowned by an oath." Smith ordered their oaths 
to be counted, and at night, when work w^as over, the 



VIRGINIA AND HER NEIGHBORS 47 

swearers were placed in line, and each was made to hold 
up his arms, while one can of cold water was poured 
down his sleeve for every oath he uttered during the day. 
This "cold-water cure" worked like a charm. All day 
long- the chips flew, with few wicked oaths to disturb the 
peaceful echoes. 

Captain Smith Leaves Virginia — Thus, time and 
again the sturdy arm and bold heart of Captain Smith 
saved the colony. But, although he kept them from 
starving, his enemies did not cease to hate him. Afraid 
to oppose him in Virginia, they carried to England false 
charges against him. A ship from England brought the 
report that he had been removed from office by the Lon- 
don Company. Smith refused to believe the story, and 
threw into prison those who resisted his authority. One 
day, however, when in a boat on the James River, a bag 
of gunpowder near him exploded, burning his flesh in 
a fearful manner. He jumped into the water and came 
near being drowned. Tortured by the pain of his wound 
and expecting every day to receive notice of his removal, 
his stout heart failed him at last. So he decided to leave 
his enemies to their triumph, and to go to England and 
have his wound treated. 

Last Days of the Bold Captain. — Captain Smith sailed 
away from \"irginia never to return. His wound healed, 
and he afterward visited America, exploring the coast of 
what is now New England, but not attempting to make 
a settlement. Later he again started to America, but 
his ship was captured by a French vessel, and the captain 
was taken prisoner to France. Escaping from his cap- 
tors, he returned to England, and spent his last days in 



48 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

London writing histories of the Jamestown settlement 
and of his own exploits. This "first American ruler and 
waiter" lies l)uried in a London church, with his shield 
and three Turks' heads carved on his tombstone, and the 
inscription beneath : ''Here lies one conquered, that 
hath conquered kings." 

Tell about Captain Smith's corn trade. Tell of Smith's exploration 
of the country and his capture by the Indians. How did he keep the 
Indians from killing him? Why was the captain uneasy when they 
fed him so well ? Who was Pocahontas, and how did she savfe Cap- 
tain Smith's life? Tell about Smith's release and return to James- 
town. What kind of rulers did Jamestown have at first? Tell about 
Captain Smith's rule. How did Smith's enemies try to injure him? 
Why did he return to England ? What exploration did he afterward 
make ? Tell of his last days. 

VIRGINIA AFTER CAPTAIN SMITIl's DEPARTURE. 

Virginia Abandoned. — It was not long after Captain 
Smith sailed away from Virginia before even his worst 
enemies wished him back. The Indians no sooner heard 
that the unconquerable captain had gone than they began 
to attack and murder the settlers. The leaders of the 
colony quarreled among themselves as to who should 
rule. The food gave out again, and the Indians could 
not be induced to furnish a mouthful. Forced to live on 
roots and acorns and the flesh of horses, very many died 
of hunger. In this terrible "starving time" the colony 
was reduced from five hundred to sixty. In despair 
these weak, half-starved survivors decided to leave 
Jamestown forever. They buried their cannons, and all 
got aboard two small ships and started down the river, 
leaving Jamestown with its rows of log houses, its 



VIRGINIA AND HER NEIGHBORS 49 

church, storehouse, and fort all silent and deserted. 
The Jamestown settlement was about to end in failure, 
as had the colonies of Sir Walter Raleigh on the Carolina 
coast. 

Virg-inia Saved — But a great surprise was in store for 
the departing colonists. They were hardly out of sight 
of the abandoned settlement when they met three English 
ships coming up the river bearing Lord Delaware, the 
new "Governor and Captain-general" of Virginia, with 
several hundred colonists and a year's provisions. Joy- 
fully all returned to Jamestown. As soon as the new 
governor touched the shore he knelt down and thanked 
God that he had come in time to save Virginia. The 
buried cannons were dug up and mounted in the fort. 
Lord Delaware put everybody to work, and once more 
the Virginians seemed happy and prosperous. 

A Virginia Wedding — Pocahontas, the Indian girl 
who had saved Captain John Smith's life, continued to be 
a good friend of the whites. She often visited James- 
town, bringing baskets of corn and acting as peacemaker 
when war between her people and the settlers was threat- 
ened. One of the Englishmen, John Rolfe by name, fell 
in love with the sweet-tempered, graceful maiden. She 
agreed to marry him, and the consent of old father Pow- 
hatan and of the governor of the colony was obtained. 
The old chief, however, would not come to his daughter's 
marriage, but he sent an uncle and two brothers of Poca- 
hontas in his place. A crowd of colonists, doubtless, 
thronged the flower-decked church at Jamestown to see 
the wedding ceremony. A short time before her mar- 
riage Pocahontas had been received into the Church, and 



VIRGINIA AND HER NEIGHBORS 51 

the name Rebecca had been given her. She and her hus- 
l)and afterward visited England, where as "Lady Re- 
becca" she was kindly received by the king and queen. 
Here she met her old friend, John Smith, whom she had 
thought to be dead. She died before her return to Vir- 
ginia, leaving a little son, Thomas, who became a gentle- 
man of "note and fortune" in Virginia and the ancestor 
of some prominent families in the State. 

Tobacco and Slaves — The year before his marriage 
with Pocahontas, John Rolfe had planted a field with to- 
bacco. He raised a large crop, which he shipped to Eng- 
land and sold for a fine price. The Virginians saw they 
could make more money raising tobacco than in any other 
way. Every colonist who had a piece of land planted 
some tobacco. Woods were cleared, and new ground 
cultivated for this profitable crop. When, a few years 
later, a Dutch ship offered for sale at Jamestown twenty 
negro slaves, the colonists bought them to work their 
tolmcco plantations. Finding the negroes well suited to 
this kind of labor, the Virginians were willing to pay a 
good price for them, and afterward English ships and 
ships from the colony of Massachusetts brought large 
numbers of the Africans to Virginia and to other English 
colonies that by that time had been established. 

No More Homesickness and Idleness. — The same year 
that the first shipload of African slaves arrived at James- 
town another ship touched at the same wharf, laden with 
a cargo that brought more of real happiness and pros- 
perity to the colony than any shipload that arrived before 
or since. The great need of the first Virginians was 
wives to make happy homes. The first settlers were men 



52 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OE OUR COUNTRY 




^Ma 



and boys, and during the first ten years hardly any 
women came over. With no merry, romping children, 
no sweet-faced girls, no gentle, thoughtful wives and 
mothers in all the colony, it is no wonder the men were 
idle and quarrelsome; and when the fever came, without 
woman's tender nursing, no wonder so many of them 
died. The wise heads of the London Company at last 
found out what was the matter with their colony, and 

they induced sixty 



rosy-cheeked Eng- 
lish maidens to 
take pity on the 
lonesome Virginia 
bachelors, and to 
cross the ocean to 
>'-*=-""' cheer them up. 

RUINS OF JAMESTOWN. At Jauicstowu a 

crowd of men met the maidens at the wharf, and the 
courting began at once. As soon as a Virginian per- 
suaded a girl to accept him he paid the ship captain her 
fare from England, and they hurried away and were 
married. These marriages proved to be so happy that 
more young English women agreed to come to Virginia, 
and there were more marriages on their arrival. New 
settlements were made on the banks of the James and 
other Virginia rivers, and the colony became firmly es- 
tablished. 

The King's Governor Resisted. — Alany of the Govern- 
ors of Virginia, like John Smith and Lord Delaware, 
ruled wisely and well. Governor Berkeley, however, 
was one who treated the people badly. When a youn^ 



VIRGINIA AND HER NEIGHBORS 53 

planter named Nathaniel Bacon raised a company of 
men to defend their homes against the Indians Governor 
Berkeley ordered him to be arrested. Bacon then made 
war on the governor and chased him out of Jamestown 
and set fire to the place. Thus, in that olden time, the 
Virginians showed that they were not afraid to resist the 
king's officers when those officers trampled on their 
rights. Bacon died of fever in the midst of his success, 
and Governor Berkeley returned; but Jamestown was 
never rebuilt. Williamsburg, a new town on a higher 
and more healthful situation, became the capital of the 
colony. 

The Knights of the Golden Horseshoe. — Governor 
Spottswood, a later governor, had the adventurous spirit 
of Governor John Smith. He led a company of ex- 
plorers and hunters beyond the Blue Ridge Mountains 
into the beautiful valley of the Shenandoah. The horses 
of the party were shod — something unusual in those days 
— as a protection against the rocky mountain roads. On 
his return Governor Spottswood sent to London, and had 
made for each of his companions a small golden horse- 
shoe, which became the badge of the "Knights of the 
Golden Horseshoe." Another act of Governor Spotts- 
wood, of more importance than his expedition beyond 
the mountains, was his directing the establishment of 
the first iron furnace in America, thus turning the atten- 
tion of the Virginians to the production of iron, with 
which their mountains are filled. 

Virginia Becomes a Large and Powerful Colony One 

hundred and fifty years after the death of Captain John 
Smith the struggling settlement at Jamestown, which he 



54 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

had so often saved from ruin, had become the powerful 
colony of Virginia. Virginians gradually moving west- 
ward had passed beyond, first, the Blue Ridge, then the 
Alleghanies, and had taken possession of what is now the 
State of Kentucky. Extending from the Atlantic Ocean 
to the Mississippi River, Virginia also claimed the region 
northwest as far as the Great Lakes. Twelve other Eng- 
lish colonies by this time had been established in North 
America, but Virginia was the largest and richest of 
them all. 

What troubles befell the Virginians after the departure of Smith? 
Tell of the coming of Lord Delaware; of the wedding of Pocahontas; 
of her life after her marriage. Tell about the beginning of tobacco 
planting in Virginia ; about the introduction of negro slaves ; about 
the coming of English maidens. Who was Nathaniel Bacon ? Tell 
of Bacon's warfare with Governor Berkeley; of Governor Spotts- 
wood's journey into the valley of Virginia; of the progress of the 
Virginia colony. 

Virginia's northern neighbor — Maryland 

Why the Colony was Founded. — When Jamestown had 
been settled about twenty-five years, and the Virginians 
had gotten bravely over their early troubles from hunger, 
sickness, and the Indians, and were beginning to get rich 
from their great tobacco plantations, a new colony was 
formed on their northern border. The founder of this 
new colony was Lord Baltimore, a Roman Catholic noble- 
man, who had held high office in England and had at one 
time been a member of the Virginia Company. The law 
of England in those days placed many hardships upon 
members of the Roman Catholic Church, among other 
things imposing a heavy fine upon those who refused to 



VIRGINIA AND HER NEIGHBORS 



55 



attend the services of the Church of England. Lord 
Baltmiore wished to estabhsh a colony in America where 
his Roman Catholic brethren would be free to practice 
their religion without interference. 

The Grant of Land and the Name of the Colony. — King 
Charles I, who was a good friend of Lord Baltimore, 
eave him a tract of land north 
of the Potomac River, includ- 
ing the present States of Mary- 
land and Delaware, and part of 
Pennsylvania and West Vir- 
ginia. Like Virginia the new 
colony was named in honor of 
a queen. The wife of King- 
Charles was Henrietta Maria, 
a French lady, and a member 
of the Roman Catholic Church. 
Maria is the same as Mary in 
English, and the king called the 
land he had given to Lord Bal- 
timore Mary's land, or Maryland, in honor of the queen. 
Lord Baltimore Dies. His Son Carries Out His Plan. 
—Just as his grant was obtained Lord Baltimore died, 
liis eldest son, who now became Lord Baltimore, re- 
ceived the grant, and proceeded to carry out his father's 
plan. This son intended to cross the ocean with his first 
colonists, but he afterward decided he had better stay at 
home to keep his enemies from persuading the king to 
take back his American territory. About three hundred 
colonists, with the younger brother of the second Lord 
Baltimore as governor, sailed into the Chesapeake Bay 




GEORGE CALVERT, FIRST 
LORD BALTIMORE. 



56 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



and up the Potomac River. "Never," wrote one of the 
colonists, "have I seen a larger or more beautiful river. 
The Thames seems a mere brook in comparison with it. 
Fine groves of trees appear, not choked with bushes, but 
growing far apart, so that you might easily drive a four- 
horse carriage through the midst of the trees." 

A Settlement Formed — Many Indians appeared on the 
bank of the river. They were struck with wonder at the 
size of the ships. The Indians made their boats, or 
canoes, of a single log hollowed out, and they wondered 
where the trees grew big enough to 
make so monstrous a canoe as that 
in which the white men sailed. 
When Governor Calvert landed to 
look for a place for a settlement the 
chief received him very kindly, in- 
vited him to stay all night, gave him 
his own bed to sleep on, and spent the 
next day in showing him the country. 
On the north bank of the Potomac was an Indian town 
which the owners agreed to sell to the whites in return 
for axes, hoes, and cloth. The Indians gave up one-half 
of the town at once, and promised to give up the other 
half as soon as their crops were gathered. The colonists 
named their settlement St. Mary's, in honor of the Vir- 
gin Mary (1634). 

Maryland Gets a Good Start. — The colonists had their 
hardships, but these hardships did not come at first, as 
had been the case at Jamestown. St. Mary's was situ- 
ated in a healthful place. The colonists had the cleared 
fields, which they had bought from the Indians, and huts 




SETTLEMENTS IN 
MARYLAND. 



VIRGINIA AND HER NEIGHBORS 57 

already built to protect them from the weather until more 
substantial homes could be made. The Indian men 
taught the settlers how to hunt deer, while the women 
showed them how to cook in the ashes a corn-meal cake 
which they called ''pone," and also how to make "ominie" 
(our hominy) out of corn parched, broken, and boiled. 
The Indians also treated their new friends to boiled and 
roasted oysters from the famous oyster beds of the 
Chesapeake. 

Troubles Come. — Lord Baltimore allowed no one in his 
colony to be disturbed on account of his religion, pro- 
vided be believed in Christ. Hence Protestants as well 
as Roman Catholics were among the settlers. After a 
while the Protestants outnumbered the Roman Catholics, 
and, sad to say, when they got control of the colony they 
passed laws that Roman Catholic worship should be pro- 
hibited in Maryland, that no Roman Catholic should vote 
or hold office, and that Lord Baltimore had no rights in 
the colony. There was fighting between the Protestant 
and Roman Catholic settlers. Finally the English gov- 
ernment restored Lord Baltimore to the rule of Mary- 
land, and freedom of worship was again established. 

Boundary Disputes — The Marylanders had disputes 
over the boundary of their colony with both their north- 
ern and their southern neighbors. The Virginians 
claimed that Maryland was included in their grant. A 
Virginia colonist who had some land in the territory 
granted to Lord Baltimore refused to pay taxes to the 
government of Maryland, and raised some troops to re- 
sist Lord Baltimore's officers. After considerable dis- 
turbance he was finally driven out. There was also a 



58 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



dispute over the boundary between Maryland and her 
northern neighbor, Pennsylvania. Both these colonies 
finally agreed that two surveyors, Mason and Dixon, 
should establish the correct boundary. The line they 
fixed was marked at the end of every fifth mile by a stone 
with the coat of arms of William Penn on the north side 
and of Lord Baltimore on the south. In later years it 
happened that the States north of this line all ceased to 
hold slaves, while those south of the line continued to be 
slaveholding. The line then became famous as "Mason 
and Dixon's line." Continuing westward along the 
Ohio River, it marked the boundary between the ''free" 
and the "slave" States. 

Growth of Maryland. — The soil of Maryland is very 
much like that of Virginia. As in Virginia, tobacco be- 
came the chief crop of the people of Maryland, and negro 
slaves were used to cultivate it. After a while wheat was 
raised also. The wheat was ground into flour, and 
.v.'s? thousands of barrels of it were 

shipped to the other colonies 
and to England. For a long 
time St. Mary's was the cap- 
ital of the colony. Then the 
capital was moved to the town 
of Annapolis (named for 
Queen Anne of England), and St. Mary's, like James- 
town, was deserted. Nearly a hundred years after the 
founding of St. Mary's the town of Baltimore was laid 
out on the shore of the Chesapeake. It grew rapidly, 
and for many years has been the largest city south of 
Mason and Dixon's line. 




INDIAN I'EACE PITE. 



VIRGINIA AND HER NEIGHBORS 59 

Who was Lord Baltimore? Why did he wish to estabHsh a colony 
in America? What land was given to Baltimore for his colony? Ex- 
plain the name of the colony. Tell about the death of The first Lord 
Baltimore and how his plan of a colony was carried out. Where 
was the settlement made? How were the colonists received by the 
Indians? What was the name of their first settlement? Tell about 
Maryland's good start. What troubles arose between Protestants and 
Catholics? Tell about the two boundary disputes and how they were 
settled. Tell of the growth of Maryland. 



VIRGINIA S TWIN SOUTHERN NEIGHBOR.S THE 

CAROLINAS 

The First White Settlers in Carolina The region first 

known as "Virginia" which Queen Elizabeth gave to Sir 
Walter Raleigh, and which King James II afterward 
gave to the London Company, stretched far south of the 
present State of Virginia. Yet for a long time after 
Jamestown was founded there were no white settlements 
in the southern half of the great territory of Virginia. 
True, even before Raleigh's ships landed here, some 
Frenchmen had built a fort on the coast not far north of 
the Savannah River, and had named this fort Carolina, 
after their King Charles, or Carolus. They expected to 
make a permanent settlement and hold the country for 
France, but when their food gave out and the Indians 
became unfriendly they built a little ship out of the logs 
of the forest and sailed away. It is probable that some 
of these returning French Carolinians landed in Eng- 
land, and were the first to tell Queen Elizabeth about this 
beautiful land, which her favorite, Raleigh, afterward 
tried to colonize. Raleigh's settlements were made in 
this same region, but some distance north of the deserted 



60 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

French fort of Carolina. The story of how his settle- 
ments ended in failure has already been told. 

The English Colony of Carolina Formed Just one 

hundred years after the French fort of Carolina was de- 
serted King Charles II of Eno-land gave to six of his 
friends the entire region south of Virginia as far as 
Spanish Florida. The name of Carolina, first given in 
honor of the French King Charles, was retained, since 
the reigning king of England was also a Charles. A 
company of Virginians had already come through the 
woods and had made the first settlement (1653) not far 
from where Raleigh's colony stood. Two shiploads of 
French Protestants, or Fluguenots, landed further south 
and founded the city of Charleston (1670). Other set- 
tlers came from the West India Islands, from Europe, 
and from the older American colonies. 

Bad Government — The proprietors of Carolina soon 
showed that they knew little about governing a colony. 
A set of laws was prepared by them which gave all power 
in the colony to the noblemen and no rights at all to the 
common people. For twenty years the proprietors tried 
to force these absurd laws on their colonists, and at last 
had to give up the attempt. The governors appointed by 
the proprietors were sometimes so tyrannical and worth- 
less that the people refused to obey them, and even chased 
them from the colony. 

The Carolina Pine Trees — In spite of bad rulers the 
colony of Carolina grew in numbers and in wealth. In 
the northern half of the colony were great forests of 
pine trees. These pine trees not only afforded fine 
timber for making ships, Init from them great quantities 



VIRGINIA AND HER NEIGHBORS 



6i 



of pitch, tar, rosin, and turpentine were obtained. In 
those days, when ships were made altogether of wood, in- 
stead of with iron bottoms, as to-day, pitch and tar were 
needed to preserve 
the vessels from 
leaking-, and these 
articles brought a 
good price in Eu- 
rope. With their 
axes the colonists 
cut great notches 
in the trunks of 
the pine trees near 
the ground. Then 
large kettles were 
so placed as to catch 
the streams of sap. 
This sap was after- 
ward boiled and 
prepared for mar- 
ket. So many of the colonists of northern Carolina were 
engaged in this industry that the name "tar-heels" was 
jokingly given them by their neighbors. 

The Palmetto Tree and the Rice Plant In southern 

Carolina another kind of tree, the palmetto, was found 
which proved very useful to the colonists. From one 
sort of palmetto they obtained a food like cabbage, and 
from the leaves of a tougher sort were made hats, ropes, 
and fans. The palmetto logs made splendid material 
for building forts, since the wood was so spongy that 
cannon balls sank into it without splitting or weakening 




CARULIXA VINE FOREST. 



62 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

it. \\'hcn southern Carolina l)ccanie a separate colony 
she placed a picture of a palmetto tree on her flag, and 
to-day the State is known as the "Palmetto State." But 
more valuable even than the palmetto tree was the rice 
plant. A ship captain returning from a voyage to is- 
lands near the African coast brought back a bag of rice 




RAISING AND IRRIGATING RICE. 



which he gave to the governor. At that time rice was 
something little known to the people of Europe, although 
for ages it had been the food of millions in China and 
Japan. The governor of Carolina had his rice planted, 
and found that the swampy lands exactly suited it. The 
rice grown in southern Carolina proved to be the best in 
the world, and it soon became the chief crop of the colony. 
To work the rice plantations many negro slaves were 



VIRGINIA AND HER NEIGHBORS 63 

brought from Africa. Southern Carohna soon had more 
slaves in proportion to its population than any other 
colony. 

Carolina Divided. — For sixty-six years the colony of 
Carolina was governed by proprietors. The proprietors 
then gave up their rights to the king, and Carolina was 
divided into two colonies, North Carolina and South 
Carolina. In North Carolina the town of Raleigh, 
named in honor of the great Sir Walter, who first tried to 
make a settlement on her shores, became the capital of 
the colony. In South Carolina Charleston was made the 
capital, and became one of the largest and richest towns 
in all the American colonies. 

Who first owned the country south of the present State of Virginia? 
Tell about the efforts of the French to make settlements in this region. 
\\'hat did these French failures probably lead to? What grant of 
land in this region did King Charles II make ? Explain the name of 
the colony. Tell of the first settlements. What bad government did 
the Carolinians endure? What use did the colonists make of their 
pine forests? of their palmetto trees? Tell about the beginning of 
rice culture in South Carolina. How did rice culture affect the num- 
ber of slaves? Tell of the division of Carolina into two colonies. 

Virginia's youngest neigiieor — Georgia 

A New Colony — When Virginia had grown to be a 
powerful colony one hundred and twenty-five years of 
age, and when her twin southern neighbors had become 
firmly established and had been separated into North and 
South Carolina, a new colony was founded on the south- 
ern border of South Carolina — a colony which was at 
once the youngest and the most southern of all the thir- 
teen sisters. 



64 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

The Poor Debtors of England. — To understand how 
this youngest colony came to be founded we must remem- 
ber that at one time it was the law in England that a 
man who did not pay his debts should be put in jail. We 
know that it is dishonest for a man to fail to pay his just 
debts, if he is able to do so. But sometimes a man gets 
into debt through no fault of his own, as by sickness, or 
accident, or rascality of others, and is unable to pay what 
he owes. No matter how the debt was caused, by the 
English law the debtor could be thrown into prison, and 
kept there until the debt was paid. If the poor man had 
a family, his wife and children were thus left without 
support. Hundreds of men and women were kept in 
prison until their death, and were cruelly treated by their 
jailers, all on account of some small debt they were un- 
al)le to pay. 

The Cruel Treatment of a Poor Debtor Awakens the In- 
dignation of His Friend — Among the wretched prisoners 
wearing away their lives in the debtors' jail was a Mr. 
Robert Castell, a scholar and writer who had once lived 
in a comfortable home with his wife and little children, 
but who unfortunately made debts he was unable to pay. 
Because Castell failed to give the keeper of the jail the 
"present" of money which was demanded of all the pris- 
oners, the cruel jailer ordered him locked up in a house 
where smallpox raged. Poor Castell took the smallpox 
and died in a few days, charging the jailer with his death. 
It happened that Castell had a friend named James Ogle- 
thorpe, once a soldier, then a member of the English 
Parliament. When Oglethorpe heard of the cruel death 
of his friend he was filled with indignation. He began to 



VIRGINIA AND HER NEIGHBORS 



65 



examine the debtors' prisons, and found cruelties even 
more horrible than those from which his friend had suf- 
fered. He induced Parliament to pass laws to lessen the 
sufferings of the poor debtors. He formed a plan to re- 
lease many of them from prison and to oft'er them homes 
in America. 

Oglethorpe's Plan to Help the Debtors An associa- 
tion was formed, with Oglethorpe as president, to found 



'in trust for the 



poor 



Their 




THE COLONY OF GEORGIA. 



a colony in America 
motto was a Latin 
phrase meaning, 
"Not for them- 
selves, Ijut for 
others." The king 
(George 11) ap- 
proved the plan of 
the "trustees," as 
they were called, 
and gave them the 
region between the 
Savannah River and the Spanish possessions in Florida. 
The name Georgia was given to the new colony in honor 
of the king. 

Oglethorpe's Colony Founded.— Many kind-hearted 
persons in England subscribed money to secure the re- 
lease of debtors, and to start them in their new homes. 
General Oglethorpe himself accompanied the first ship- 
load of colonists. They stopped at Charleston for a few 
hours, and the governor of South Carolina made Ogle- 
thorpe a present of cattle, hogs, and rice. The Carolin- 
ians were well pleased to have a colony established as 



66 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



Georgia 
Among" 



a barrier between them and the Spaniards of Florida. 
Entering the Savannah River in February, 1733, Ogle- 
thorpe selected a place for a settlement, which he named 
Savannah, from the Indian name of the river. 
Oglethorpe and Mary Musgrove — Like William Penn, 

Oglethorpe was just in his 
dealings with the Indians, 
and no colony had so little 
trouble with the savages as 
and Pennsylvania, 
the Indians who 
greeted Oglethorpe on his 
arrival was a woman named 
Mary Musgrove, whose 
mother was an Indian, and 
whose father was a white 
Canadian trader. Mary 
Musgrove spoke both the 
English and the Indian lan- 
guages, so Oglethorpe employed her as his inter- 
preter and paid her a good salary. 

The Indian Chiefs Called Together Soon after his 

settlement was made Oglethorpe invited all the neighbor- 
ing chiefs to a meeting, that he might make an agree- 
ment with them about land for his colonists. The In- 
dians took their seats in a circle and rose in turn to speak. 
When it came to the turn of Tomochichi, chief of the 
tribe living next to the white settlement, the old Indian 
bowed very low and said: "When your people came 
here I feared you would drive us away, for we were weak 




OGLETHORPE. 



VIRGINIA AND HER NEIGHBORS 



67 




OGLETHORri: S COIXCIL WITH THE INDIANS. 



and wanted corn; but you let us keep our land, gave us 
food, and taught our children. The chief men of all our 
nation are here to tliank you for us. We all love your 
people so v^ell that with them we will live and die." 

Tomochichi's Present. — Then Tomochichi handed 
Oglethorpe a buffalo skin painted on the inside with the 
head and feathers of an eagle. "Here is a little present," 
he said. "The whites are swift as the eagle, flying to 
the farthest parts of the earth over great seas. They 
are strong as the buffalo, for nothing can withstand them. 
The feathers of the eagle are soft, and signify love; the 



68 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

buffalo skin is warm, and signifies protection. There- 
fore we hope that you will love and protect our little 
families." 

Agreement with the Indians. — At this meeting the In- 
dians gave to the whites a large tract of land south of the 
Savannah River. Oglethorpe agreed not to let the 
white traders charge above a certain rate for their goods. 
The price of a white blanket, for example, should be one 
deerskin ; of a blue blanket, five deerskins ; of a gun, ten 
deerskins. General Oglethorpe then presented the chiefs 
with laced hats, coats, and shirts ; to the warriors he gave 
guns, tobacco, and other presents; and all went away 
happy. 

Tomochichi's Friendship for the Whites. — Like Pow- 
hatan in \Trginia, Tomochichi was the firm friend of the 
whites. Once an Indian chief who thought he had been 
wronged by a white man declared he was going to kill 
all the English. Tomochichi tried to dissuade him from 
his purpose, and finally laid bare his breast before the 
angry chief, crying out, "If 3'ou wish to kill any one, kill 
me; for I am an Englishman!" He then proved to the 
chief that the story of the wrong done him was all a 
mistake, and thus saved the whites from an attack. 

Tomochichi Visits England. — Tomochichi, with his 
wife, nephew, and several other Indians-, accompanied his 
friend Oglethorpe to England. They were received 
with great honors. Tomochichi and his wife were 
dressed in scarlet and gold. The whole party were 
"driven to the royal palace in the king's coaches, each 
coach drawn by six horses. Tomochichi was filled with 
wonder at the magnificent houses of London and the 



VIRGINIA AND HER NEIGHBORS 69 

wealth and splendor on every side. On his return to 
Georgia he said : "The Great Spirit has given the Eng- 
lish great wisdom, power, and riches so that they need 
nothing. To the Indians he has given great lands, but 
they need everything." He urged his people to allow 
the English to settle among them on such lands as they 
themselves did not need, so that the Indians might be 
supplied with plows, axes, and the many articles the Eng- 
lish possessed. 

Death of Tomochichi — When Tomochichi was an old 
man a fever attacked him, and he lay dying on a blanket 
in his wigwam. Beside him sat his wife fanning him 
with a fan of feathers. His good friend Oglethorpe was 
there, too, doing what he could to make the old man com- 
fortable. With his last words the old chief expressed 
his love for Oglethorpe, and advised his people to con- 
tinue in their friendship for the English. He asked that 
his body might be buried among the English in the town 
of Savannah. His wish was carried out. General Ogle- 
thorpe, the officers of the town, and a great crowd of 
whites and Indians attended the funeral. Guns were 
fired from the fort in honor of the good chief as his body 
was lowered into the grave. 

Last Days of Oglethorpe — Like his friend Tomochichi, 
General Oglethorpe lived to be nearly a hundred years 
old. Not only poor debtors, but persecuted Protestants, 
were invited to settle in his colony. Many came from 
Germany and from Scotland. The Spaniards of Florida 
claimed Georgia as part of their territory, and tried to 
drive out the English. But General Oglethorpe raised 
an army, drove back the Spaniards, and saved his colony. 



yo THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

\\'hen Georgia was twenty-one years old the "trustees" 
gave up the rule of the colony to the king, and Ogle- 
thorpe returned to England. He never ceased to be the 
friend of the people of America. When Georgia and 
her sister colonies in later years were at war with the 
mother country, England, the command of an English 
army was offered to General Oglethorpe. But he re- 
fused to fight against the American colonists. He lived 
to see the Americans successful in the war, and Georgfia 
and the other colonies independent States. General 
Oglethorpe spent a large part of his fortune bringing 
colonists from Europe and securing homes for them. 
Unlike \\'illiam Penn and Lord Baltimore, he obtained 
no rich estates in the colony which he founded. A 
splendid example of unselfish work in helping the poor 
and oppressed is left to us by James Oglethorpe. 

When was the youngest Enghsh colony founded? What was the 
old English law about debtors? Tell about the cruel treatment oi 
the debtor Robert Castell. What effect did the death of Castell have 
upon his friend James Oglethorpe ? What plan did Oglethorpe form 
to help the debtors? Tell about the founding of Oglethorpe's colony; 
about !Mary Musgjove ; about the meeting of Oglethorpe and the 
Indian chiefs; about Tomochichi's present What bargain did Ogle- 
thorpe make with the Indians? Tell how Tomochichi proved his 
friendship for the whites. Tell about Tomochichi's visit to England ; 
about the death of Tomochichi ; about the last days of Oglethorpe. 



CHAPTER IV 

Massachusetts and Her Neighbors 
]^1yles Staxdish — Massachusetts 



THE COMIXG OF THE PILGRIMS 

Captain John Smith Explores and Names New Eng- 
land. — After Captain John Smith left A'irginia he was 
employed by the PMnouth Company of England to visit 
the northern coast of Amer- 
ica. He went to catch 
whales or to find gold, or, if 
he failed in these, to get fish 
and furs. In the matter of 
fish and furs he was success- 
ful, and while engaged in col- 
lecting his cargo he explored 
the coast from ]\Iaine to Cape J 
Cod. He made a map of 
the region, and named it Xew 
England. The Phinouth 
Company were so pleased with what the captain had 
done that they called him "Admiral of Xew England." 

The Coming of the First New England Home Builders. 
— A few years after Admiral Smith's explorations of 
this region an English ship loaded with home seekers 

71 




WHERE THE PILGRIMS LANDED. 



^2 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

came in sight of that part of the New England coast that 
thrusts out into the Atlantic the narrow, hook-shaped 
tongue of land now known as Cape Cod. No flower- 
decked fields, no balmy breezes of springtime welcomed 
these newcomers. The bleak November winds that 
swept through the leafless trees and scattered the snow 
over barren sands sounded a cheerless greeting to the 
good ship Mayilozvcr, and to the shivering, people who 
thronged her deck. Unlike the first Virginia colonists, 
this company included women and children. After their 
long and stormy voyage the boys and girls must have 
been heartily tired of the ship, and no doubt they begged 
their parents to disembark at once. The leaders of the 
colony, however, wished to sail farther south, but the sail- 
ors who controlled the ship declared the weather was too 
stormy to proceed farther. So it w^as decided to select a 
place here for a settlement (1620). 

The Pilgrims of England, and Why Some of Them 
Went to Holland. — To understand who these colonists 
were, and why they came to America, you must know 
that they belonged to a class of people living in Eng- 
land three hundred years ago who did not believe in 
worshiping God in the same way that most of the Eng- 
lish people did. They thought certain customs of the 
English churchmen were wrong, and that some of their 
beliefs were not according to the Bible. So these peo- 
ple — afterward called "Pilgrims" because of their wan- 
derings — refused to attend the regular churches, and in- 
stead had meetings at their homes or at the homes of 
their ministers. They were fined and imprisoned for 
not attending church, but this only made them more de- 



MASSACHUSETTS AND HER NEIGHBORS 73 

termined than ever. The officers of the law broke up 
their pubHc meetings, and they had to assemble secretly. 
So much trouble did these Pilgrims have that at last 
some of them decided to leave their country and go 
across the North Sea to Holland, where people were al- 
lowed to worship God as they pleased. 

They are Dissatisfied with Their Home in Holland 

When the king's officers learned of the intended de- 
parture of the Pilgrims they arrested those preparing 
to set out. Most of them managed to escape from Eng- 
land, however, and in the free land of Holland made 
new homes, and worshiped God in their own way. But 
there were several things that prevented them from be- 
ing happy in Holland. They dearly loved their Eng- 
lish language and their English customs, and it made 
them sad to see their children learning to use the lan- 
guage of their Dutch playmates more readily than their 
mother tongue, and when their girls grew up and mar- 
ried the young Hollanders, and when their boys joined 
the Dutch armies or became officers in the Dutch govern- 
ment, it seemed that even the memory of old England 
would be lost. The news of the success of the James- 
town settlement turned their thoughts to America. 
They determined to move once more, and to build a new 
England beyond the sea. 

They Sail to America — Rut, like Christopher Colum- 
bus, the Pilgrims were too poor to hire the ships that 
were necessary to carry them across the ocean. They 
wrote to their friends in England, and at last some rich 
English merchants were persuaded to lend them money 
for the voyage. With all the help they could get, how- 



74 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



ever, they were able to hire only one ship, and that a 
small, leaky one. As this little ship could not carry all 
the Pilgrims who wanted to go, they chose the young- 
est and strongest of their number, thinking that these 
could best endure the dangers and privations that lay 
before them. There was one soldier in the company. 
Captain Myles Standish, who had left his home in Eng- 
land years before to fight in the 
wars of Holland. He was not 
himself a member of the Pil- 
grim congregation, but the Pil- 
grims were his warm friends, 
and with something of John 
Smith's love of adventure he 
joined the little company bound 
for America. Sailing from 
Holland, the Pilgrims touched 
on the English coast, where a 
larger and stronger vessel, the 
Mayflower, was obtained, and the first ship was left be- 
hind. After a stormy voyage of several months they 
came in sight of the shores of Cape Cod. 

Captain Standish is Warmly Received by the Indians. 
— Captain Standish with a small party of men landed 
and began looking for a place to settle. They found 
paths in the forest, evidently made by the Indians, some 
baskets of corn buried in the ground, and a number of 
deserted huts, or wigwams. One day while Captain 
Standish's exploring party w^ere preparing breakfast 
around their camp fire they were startled by a wild yell 
different from any sound they had ever heard before, and 




MYLES STANDISH. 



MASSACHUSETTS AND HER NEIGHBORS 75 

at the same time a shower of arrows flew past them. 
The noise was the "war whoop" of a band of Indians, 
who with their bows and arrows were advancing from 
the woods to attack the EngHshmen. Captain Standish 
and his men rushed to their boats, and seizing their guns, 
hastily fired. When the bullets from the white men's 
guns went whistling past their ears the Indians took 
to their heels. 

Tell about Captain John Smith's exploration of New England. 
What part of the New England coast was seen by the first home 
seekers from Europe? Compare their landing to the landing of the 
first Jamestown colonists, noting the different season of the year, 
the different appearance of the country, and the difference in the 
colonists themselves. What decided them in selecting a place for 
landing? Who were the Pilgrims? Why did they go to Holland? 
Why were they dissatisfied with their Holland homes ? What did 
they determine to do? How did they carry out their plan? Who 
was Myles Standish? Tell of the voyage of the Pilgrims from Hol- 
land to America ; of Captain Standish's first encounter with the In- 
dians. 

FOUNDING OF THE PILGRIM-PURITAN COLONIES 

The First Homes Built. — After a month spent in ex- 
ploring the coast the Pilgrims selected for their home 
a spot which Captain John Smith had called Plymouth, 
on the map which he had made of this region. Here 
were deserted grain fields, which saved them the trouble 
of clearing land for their crops. Here, too, was a 
stream of pure w^ater and a harbor for ships. So they 
landed and began building their log cabins. Everybody 
worked. The boys helped by shoveling away the snow, 
and carrying the lighter timbers as their fathers cut 
them in the woods ; while the girls helped their mothers 



y^ THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

cook and wash and mend the clothes. They had no 
glass to put in their windows, so they pasted oiled paper 
upon the window sashes. Although they could not see 
through these queer window panes, yet the oiled paper let 
in some light and kept out the bitter cold air. 

The First Winter — You rememl)er that in the James- 
town colony the hot summer brought fevers and deaths. 
To the people of the more northern colony of Plymouth 
the bitter cold of winter caused much suffering. The 
long voyage across the ocean in a crowded ship had 
weakened their health, to begin with. And their poor 
food and exposure to the cold brought on a kind of quick 
consumption, that caused the death of nearly half the 
settlers before the winter was over. Among the first to 
die was Rose Standish, wife of the brave captain. On 
a hill overlooking the sea Captain Standish and his 
friends buried their dead. Then the graves were leveled 
and the hill sown with w^ieat. This was done that the 
Indians might not know how many had died, and how 
few were left to guard the settlement. But in spite of 
their trials the brave Pilgrims did not give up. A\'hen 
the May-flower sailed for England in the spring no one 
asked to be taken back. 

Why there Was No Trouble with the Indians at First. 
— While Captain Standish and his men found many 
traces of the Indians in old paths, deserted wigwams, 
and fields, yet they were surprised to find that the In- 
dians themselves had removed their homes from this 
region. A deadly plague, or disease, had broken out 
among them some years before, and had killed so many 
that the survivors fled in terror from the scene of so 



MASSACHUSETTS AND HER NEIGHBORS 77 

great sufferings. This was a fortunate thing for the 
settlers, as they were thus saved from conflicts with 
the Indians during the early years of their colony. 

Some Friendly Indians — Samoset and Squanto One 

day an Indian appeared at Plymouth, and, walking down 
the streets, called out, "Welcome, Englishmen!" None 
of the Pilgrims had ever heard an Indian talk before, 
and they were astonished to hear this man speak in 
the English language. They found that his name was 
Samoset, and that he had learned a few words from a. 
party of Englishmen who had spent a short time fishing 
on the coast near by. Samoset took dinner with the 
settlers, and told them about the terrible sickness that 
had driven the Indians away from the Plymouth region. 
Other Indians then visited Plymouth, among them one 
named Squanto, who had once been taken a captive to 
Europe, and there had learned to speak English readily. 
Squanto taught the settlers many useful things. As 
they had never seen corn before, he showed them how to 
plant it in hills, placing" a fish in each hill to enrich the 
soil, which was sandy and poor. He also taught them 
a way to catch fish and eels without hook or net. 

Chief Massasoit — The chief of the Indians of eastern 
Massachusetts was Massasoit. At the suggestion of 
Samoset the governor of the colony sent an invitation 
to this chief to visit the settlers. He came accompanied 
by his principal braves, and was met by Governor Brad- 
ford and Myles Standish with two soldiers playing upon 
the drum and fife. They all marched to the council 
chamber at Plymouth, where a great feast had been pre- 
pared for the Indians. A treaty was made in which the 



78 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

Indians agreed not to disturb the Plymouth people in 
the possession of the lands they occupied. As long as 
]Massasoit lived this treaty was kept. Like Powhatan 
in Virginia, he was the friend of the whites. When 
news came to Plymouth that Massasoit was ill Edward 
Winslow set out through the woods to visit and nurse 
him. The weather was hot, but he found the sick chief 
tossing on a dirty pallet in a close cabin crowded with 
Indians who had come to help their ''medicine men" con- 
jure away the evil spirits that had caused the sickness. 
Winslow put the crowd out of the room and opened the 
doors to let in fresh air. Then he gave the sick man a 
much-needed bath, and administered some simple medi- 
cines. For three days he nursed his patient, and at the 
end of that time the sick man was able to walk about. 
Massasoit and his whole tribe were grateful for this act 
of kindness, and in many ways showed their friendship 
for the Plymouth colonists. 

Thanksg^iving Day. — In the autumn, when the crops 
were gathered, the Pilgrims determined to show their 
thankfulness to God for his goodness to them by having 
a time of special thanksgiving. Some young men who 
had been sent hunting by Governor Bradford brought 
in a large number of wild turkeys, and their Indian 
friends furnished an abundance of venison. Other good 
things to eat were supplied by the wives and maidens 
of the colony. For several days the service of praise 
at the meetinghouse, or church, were followed by feast- 
ing and by trials of skill in shooting at a mark, in which 
both Indians and whites joined. - This was the beginning 
of our custom of a yearly Thanksgiving Day. 



MASSACHUSETTS AND HER NEIGHBORS 79 

Captain Standish Sends a Message and Gets Angry 
with His Friend — Among those who came to Plymouth 
in the good ship MayUozver was a young woman named 
Priscilla Mulhns. During the first dreadful winter no- 
body worked harder nursing the sick and comforting 
the sorrowing than did this sweet Pilgrim maiden. 
Skillful with spinning wheel, needle, and thread, she was 
always busy trying to make others happy. To Captain 
Standish in his sadness and loneliness Priscilla seemed 
the loveliest maiden in Plymouth. He decided she was 
the one woman in the world who could take Rose Stan- 
dish's place in his heart. But with all his bravery in 
war the captain was a coward when it came to facing 
the ladies. He was not afraid of a rifle ball, but he 
was afraid of a woman's laugh. So instead of propos- 
ing to Miss Priscilla himself he asked his young friend 
John Alden to go to the young lady and tell her that 
Captain Standish wished her to become his wife. Now, 
John Alden himself was in love with Priscilla. Yet he 
felt that he must be true to his friend. So he sorrow- 
fully obeyed the captain's request. In the midst of his 
praises of the captain, however, the laughing Priscilla 
stopped her lover with the question, "Why don't you 
speak for yourself, John?" When the fiery captain 
learned how his messenger had failed he blazed up with 
anger. But afterward he found a wife to comfort his 
heart, and when John Alden and Priscilla were married 
he freely forgave them both. 

The Coming of the Puritans — Not long after the Pil- 
grims had founded Plymouth another settlement was 
made on the coast a few miles farther north. The new 



9>0 TTTR P.FXilNNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

settlement was formed by some Englishmen who came 
to America for the same reason that brought the Pil- 
grims — they wanted to worship God in their own way, 
undisturbed. In their religion they were much like the 
Pilgrims, except that they did not at first try to form a 
separate Church from the Church of England, as the 
Pilgrims did. They wished to remain members of the 
Church of England, but they wanted some of its beliefs 
and practices changed — "purified," as they said. Hence 
the name ''Puritans" was given them. When they 
found they could not get the changes they wished in the 
Church they began to think of coming to America, as the 
Pilgrims had done. 

The Puritan Settlements. — The first settlement made 
by the Puritans was called Salem (a Bible word, mean- 
ing Peace) . Soon afterward about a thousand Puritans, 
most of them from the town of Boston, England, came 
over under Governor Winthrop, and established another 
settlement, which they named Boston, after their old 
home. Boston grew rapidly, and soon became the capi- 
tal of the Puritan colony. The colony itself was known 
as the ''Massachusetts Bay Colony," the word "Mas- 
sachusetts" being the Indian name for the "Blue Hills," 
near Boston. The Plymoutji colony and the Massachu- 
setts Bay colony were afterward joined in one, and called 
the colony of Massachusetts. 

Where did the Pilgrims make their settlement? How did the boys 
and girls help? What kind of windows did their houses have? Tell 
of the sufferings of the settlers the first winter. What sorrow came 
to Captain Standish? How did the colonists conceal from the Indians 
the number of deaths? Why were there so few Indians in this 



MASSACHUSETTS AND HER NEIGHBORS 



region? Tell about Sanioset; about Squanto ; about the treaty with 
Massasoit ; about Massasoit's sickness and cure. Tell about the first 
Thanksgiving Day. Who was Priscilla Mullins ? Tell about Captain 
Standish's message to Priscilla. Who made a settlement near Ply- 
mouth? What was the difference between the Puritans and the 
Pilgrims? What settlements were made by the Puritans? Tell about 
the growth of Boston ; about the union of the Pilgrim-Puritan col- 
onies. 

THE LITTLE NEIGHBOR OF MASSACHUSETTS 

RHODE ISLAND 

Strictness of the Puritans. Roger Williams. — The 

Puritans were so determined that their religion should 
not be interfered with 
in their new home 
that they made the 
mistake of trying to 
make everybody who 
came to their colony 
think exactly as they 
did in religious mat- 
ters. No churches ex- 
cept Puritan churches, 
or "meetinghouses," 
were permitted. Peo- 
ple who stayed from 
pubhc worship were 
fined, or sometimes 
put in a wooden cage. When Roger Williams, a Sepa- 
ratist minister, came to the colony, and began to preach 
that the rulers should not interfere with any man's re- 
hgion, he was arrested and ordered to go back to Eng- 
land. 




ROGER WILLIAMS CHURCH. 



82 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

Roger Williams Establishes a New Colony Instead of 

getting' on board the ship that was to take him back to 
England, Roger Williams ran off into the woods, and 
lived a while with some friendly Indians. Then he 
started a settlement (1636), which he called "Provi- 
dence," because of God's merciful providence toward him. 
He invited all people who thought themselves badly 
treated on account of their religion to come to his set- 
tlement, promising to let them believe whatever they pre- 
ferred, and belong to any church they wished, or not 
to join any church if they thought best. Many set- 
tlers from Massachusetts accepted his invitation, and 
came through the woods to join him. Roger Williams's 
colony was afterward known as Rhode Island, from the 
Dutch words for Red Island, an island with red soil not 
far from Providence. 

TWO OTHER NEIGHBORS OF MASSACHUSETTS 

CONNECTICUT AND NEW HAMPSHIRE 

Other New England Colonies. — The Massachusetts col- 
ony and the Rhode Island colony were next-door neigh- 
bors, with a strip of woods separating them. Adjoin- 
ing them two other colonies were formed, known as 
Connecticut and New Hampshire. This group of four 
colonies occupied the region named ''New England" on 
Captain John Smith's map. The four colonies were 
known as the New England colonies.' 



MASSACHUSETTS AND HER NEIGHBORS 83 

KING Philip's war 

Massasoit's Sons. Alexander's Death — The Indian 
chief Massasoit, the friend of the whites, had two sons, 
to whom the settlers had given the EngHsh names Alex- 
ander and Philip. Alexander was the elder, and he be- 
came chief on the death of his father. The young- chief 
was not as good a friend of the settlers as his old father 
had been. The governor of Plymouth colony, hearing 
that he was stirring up the Indians to make war upon 
the whites, had him arrested and brought to Plymouth. 
He was taken sick during his stay at Plymouth, and died 
soon after he reached home. His wife declared he had 
been poisoned by the whites. Many Indians believed the 
story, and it increased their dislike for the English. 

Philip Becomes Chief — On the death of his older 
brother, Alexander, Philip became chief. Philip was a 
shrewd and also a very proud man. He called himself 
King Philip, and often wore a bright red blanket over 
his shoulders and a sort of crown of wampum on his 
head. He hated the whites because he believed they had 
killed his brother, and because he saw that they were tak- 
ing all the lands which had once belonged to his peo- 
ple. He decided that if all the English could be killed 
or driven away it would be better for the Indians. He 
began to lay his plans to do this. Messengers were sent 
to all the Indian tribes of New England begging them 
to join in driving the whites away. Nearly all the chiefs 
agreed to join him, and soon a terrible war began. 

A Bloody War. — The Indians did not fight openly in 
the fields, but stealthily and under cover of the trees. 



84 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OE OUR COUNTRY 

They surrounded villa^q"es at night while the whites were 
asleep, and often killed men, women, and children. One 
Sunday while the people of Hadley, Massachusetts, were 
in church the w^ords of the preacher were suddenly 
drowned hy wild yells of savages on the outside. Seiz- 
ing their guns, which were stacked near the door, the 




INDIAN MODE OF ATTACK. 



men of the congregation rushed out to meet the foe. 
Such a large numher of Indians were swarming on every 
side, however, that the whites w^ere ahout to be beaten. 
Suddenly an old man of tall form and with a long gray 
beard appeared among them, and in a loud ringing voice 
ordered them to hold their ground and then to charge 
upon the redskins. Taking fresh courage they obeyed 



MASSACHUSETTS AND HER NEIGHBORS 85 

the stranger's command, and soon pnt the Indians to 
flight, chasing them far into the woods. After the pur- 
suit was over the gray-haired leader was nowhere to he 
found. Some declared he was an angel sent to save the 
people. But in truth it was Colonel Goffe, one of the 
judges who had sentenced King Charles I of England to 
death, and who was hiding in America, fearing to show 
himself even to his townspeople, lest some one should 
report his whereahouts to the English officers. 

The War Ended. — Other towns were not so fortunate 
as Hadley. In many places the Indians overpowered the 
settlers, burned all the houses, and killed or made pris- 
oners the men, women, and children. There was hardly 
a white family in all New England that did not lose 
some member. But the Indians suffered most. All the 
New England colonies joined in sending soldiers to fight 
the cruel savages. King Philip's warriors were beaten; 
nearly all the fighting men were killed, and he himself 
was chased fj'om one hiding-place to another like a wild 
beast. His wife and little son were taken captive. Still 
he would not give up. One of his followers advised him 
to surrender. The suggestion so angered Philip that he 
killed the man with one blow of his tomahawk. A 
brother of the slain Indian, in revenge, led the whites to 
Philip's hiding-place. When his enemies burst in upon 
him Philip, seeing there were too many for him to fight, 
started to flee. A bullet pierced his heart. ITis death 
ended the war. His wife and little boy were sold as 
slaves and sent to work in the far-away Bermuda Is- 
lands. 



86 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

What mistake did the Puritan colonists make? Who was Roger 
Wilhams? Tell about his treatment by the rulers of the colony; 
about the founding of the colony of Rhode Island. What two other 
colonies were founded in the region of New England ? Name the 
New England colonies. What were the names of the sons of Massa- 
soit? What happened to the eldest? What charge was brought 
against the white settlers? What kind of man was Philip? How did 
he feel toward the settlers? What plan did he form? What was 
the Indian method of fighting? Tell about the fight at Hadley. What 
disasters happened to many white settlements? Tell of the defeat 
and death of Philip. 



CHAPTER V 



Pennsylvania and Her Neighbors 

William Penn — Pennsylvania 

A College Student Joins the Quakers and Gets Into 
Trouble — Not long after Roger Williams founded the 
Rhode Island colony a boy was born in England who 
was destined, when he grew up, to be the founder of 
one of the largest and most important of the English 
colonies in America. The boy's mother 
was a Dutch lady, and his father was Ad- 
miral Penn, a noted sea-fighter. Young- 
William Penn was sent to the best schools 
of England. When a young man at col- 
lege he and other students used to attend 
the preaching of a denomination of Chris- 
tians known as "Friends," or "Quakers." 
The Quakers believed in following the 
exact words of Christ's teachings. They 
would not say "I swear" even when 
the judge wished them to take an oath ^ Quaker. 
in court. They believed that a person should not 
strike back when struck, but should "turn the other 
cheek." In talking they said "thou" and "thee" instead 
of "you," and called every one by his plain name, with- 
out Sir or Mr, or Mrs. They kept on their hats in 
church, and would not take them off before any one, even 

87 




88 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

the king himself. Although Quakers were at that time 
often whipped and imprisoned, and some of them even 
put to death, Penn liked their teachings so well that he 
became a Quaker himself. Believing that the morning 
prayers at college were not conducted in the right way, 
he refused to attend them. He refused also to wear the 
gown in which students were required to dress, and with 
his friends he tore the gowns from some who wore them. 
Of course this was wrong, and he was expelled from 
school. 

William Penn's Conduct Angers His Father. — Old Ad- 
miral Penn was very angry because of his son's conduct. 
He sent young William to France, hoping that travel 
would make him give up his newfangled notions. But 
the young man climg to his Quaker beliefs, and even 
wrote books to prove that the Quakers should not be dis- 
turbed because of their customs. He was thrown into 
prison; but he spent his time in jail writing more books 
in defense of the Quakers. Released from prison, he 
traveled in Holland, his mother's homeland, and in other 
countries of Europe, preaching Quaker doctrines. His 
father had become so angry with him because he would 
not promise to take off his hat to the king, the Duke 
of York, and himself that he ordered him to leave home 
and never to come back. But his mother wrote to her 
son and kept him supplied with money. After a while 
the old admiral, overcome by his wife's pleadings, and 
seeing it was no use to oppose his son's beliefs, permitted 
him to return home. 

Penn's Woods — On the death of Admiral Penn his son 
William inherited his fortune. King Charles H had bor- 



PENNSYLVANIA AND HER NEIGHBORS 89 

rowed a large sum of money from Admiral Perm, which 
he had never repaid. Finding it impossible to protect 
his Quaker friends from persecution in England, Wil- 
liam Penn now asked the king for a grant of land in 
America, in payment of his father's claim. He thus 
hoped to establish a home in the New World for the per- 
secuted Quakers. The king agreed to pay the debt in 
this way, and a large tract of land west of the Delaware 
River was given to Penn (1681). On account of the 
great forests in this region Penn suggested the name 
Sylvania, the Latin for "woods"; but the king insisted 
on naming the grant Pennsylvania, or Penn's Woods, 
in honor of Admiral Penn. Pennsylvania lay about half- 
way between the Plymouth and the Jamestown settle- 
ments, and was larger than all of England. 

The City of Brotherly Love — Penn determined to es- 
tablish what he called a "godly commonwealth," where 
people should be as free in matters of religion as they 
were in Holland. He crossed the ocean himself with 
his colonists, and laid out a city on the west bank of the 
Delaware (1683). He named the place Philadelphia, 
which means brotherly love. He had drawn a map of 
his proposed city before leaving England. The streets 
were to run north and south, and east and west. Those 
running north and south were named Eirst Street, Sec- 
ond Street, and so on, while those running east and west 
were called after trees and fruits, as Pine, Walnut, Mul- 
berry, The town grew very rapidly, and soon became 
the largest city in all the colonies. After the colonies 
became States Philadelphia was, for a time, the capital 
of the United States. 



90 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

How Penn Obtained His Land. — We know that the 
king- of Engkmd ckiinied all the land from Newfound- 
land to Florida, because John Cabot had sailed in an 
English ship along this coast before any other white 
man had seen it. The king granted portions of his 
American land to trading companies, and some he gave 
to favorite friends, or, as in the case of William Penn, 
he used it to pay debts. The white settlers who came 
to America obtained their titles to the land on which 
they built their homes from the trading companies, or 
from the proprietors to whom the king had given it. In 
most of the colonies the Indians were not supposed to 
have any rights to the land, although their fathers and 
grandfathers before them had hunted upon it and they 
had always looked upon it as their own. Wlien the In- 
dians objected to the seizure of their land the colonists 
often took up arms and drove them far away to the west. 
William Penn, however, believed that the Indians had 
a right to the land upon which they lived, even if they 
did not fence it in and cultivate it. Although he had 
obtained his land from the king, yet he would not oc- 
cupy it or allow his colonists to do so until they had 
bought it again from the Indians. 

Penn's Treaty — Soon after he reached his colony 
Penn sent word to the chiefs of all the neighboring In- 
dian tribes to meet him. The meeting took place under 
a great elm tree near the banks of the Delaware River. 
Penn had no soldiers with him, and his few companions 
carried no guns or weapons of any kind. He told the 
red men he wanted to make a bargain with them for the 
purchase of their land, and to establish peace and friend- 



PENNSYLVANIA AND HER NEIGHBORS 



91 



ship between his people and their people. "All between 
us," said Penn, ''shall be openness and love. The friend- 
ship between you and me I will not compare to a chain, 
for that the rain might rust or a falling- tree might break. 
We are the same as if one man's body were divided into 
two parts ; we are all one flesh and blood !" Then Penn 




PliNN S TREATY WITH THE INDIANS. 



gave the chiefs presents, and they presented him with 
a belt of "wampum," consisting of long strings of white 
shells with three slanting bands of black, and with two 
figures worked in the center — one a bareheaded Indian, 
the other a white man with a hat on, who are clasping 
hands in token of friendship. The Indians were so 
pleased with Penn's fairness and kindness that they said, 



92 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

''We will live in love with William Penn and his children 
as long as the sun and moon shall shine." As a sign 
of friendship they brought out the "pipe of peace," a 
tobacco pipe with a long stem, ornamented with feathers, 
and, lighting it, solemnly passed it around the circle, 
white man and red man each taking a few whififs. The 
Indians kept their promise of peace, and it is said that 
no Quaker was ever killed by an Indian. The great 
elm under which the treaty was made stood for more 
than a hundred years, and was finally blown down. In 
one of the streets of the city of Philadelphia a monument 
now stands marking the spot wdiere the old tree once 
stood. 

Growth of the Colony — William Penn was a wise 
ruler. lie declared that every citizen should worship 
God as he thought right. Plis laws gave ecjual pro- 
tection to Indians and white men. He believed that 
even bad men should not be imprisoned in cold, dark, 
dirty jails, like most of the jails in England at that time. 
He established in Pennsylvania W'Orkhouses where crim- 
inals were put to work, because he believed idleness made 
bad men worse. His kind and just government at- 
tracted many people to his colony. Besides English 
Quakers, large numbers of immigrants came from Ger- 
many, Holland, Sweden, and Switzerland. German- 
town, near Philadelphia, was settled by Germans, as the 
name shows. In later years many came from Scotland 
and Ireland. No other colony was settled by people 
from so many dillerent nations, but in no colony were 
the citizens more peaceable, contented, and prosperous. 

Last Days of Penn. — After remaining two years in his 



PENNSYLVANIA AND HER NEIGHBORS 93 

colony Penn returned to England. James II, who be- 
came king about this time, was a warm friend of Penn, 
and this friendship enabled Penn to secure protection for 
the suffering Quakers in England. But most of the 
English people did not like King James, and they drove 
him from the throne. Afterward Penn was several 
times arrested on the charge of trying to bring back 
the banished king. Nothing could be proved against 
him, however, and he was released. With his wife and 
daughters he again visited his American colony, but 
hastened back to England when he heard the govern- 
ment was planning to take away his rights as proprietor 
of Pennsylvania. In the last years of his life he was 
stricken with paralysis, and was scarcely able to move. 
After his death his children became proprietors of his 
colony. On the tower of the great city hall of Phila- 
delphia to-day is an immense statue of William Penn, 
reminding all who see it of one of the noblest men in 
the early history of our country. 

When and where was WilHam Penn born? Who were his parents? 
Who were the Quakers? Tell about William Penn's life at school. 
For what was he expelled? How did his father try to cure him of 
his Quaker beliefs? What was done to Penn by the king's officers? 
What efTect did this have upon him ? What promise did young Penn 
refuse to make? Tell about his father's anger; about his mother's 
course toward him. For what purpose did he wish to obtain a grant 
of land in America? How did he obtain this grant? Where was his 
land situated? What can you say of the size of his grant? of the 
name given? What sort of government did Penn wish to establish? 
.Tell about the city that Penn founded. From whom did the white 
settlers generally get their land? What about the Indians' rights to 
the land? How did Penn act in the matter of getting land for his 
colonists? Tell about Penn's treaty with the Indians. What can 



94 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

you say about Penn's rule of his colony? of the growth of Pennsyl- 
vania? Tell about the friendship of King James for Penn ; about 
Penn's last days ; about the monument to his memory. What can 
you admire about Penn? 

Pennsylvania's little neighbor — Delaware 

Delaware. — When Penn first came to America he found 
a settlement of Swedes on the Delaware River at what is 
now Wilmington, in the State of Delaware. These set- 
tlers readily agreed to become a part of his colony, Penn 
having obtained a grant to this region in addition to the 
land the king had first given him. For about twenty 
years this part of Pennsylvania was called the "Three 
Lower Counties on the Delaware." When Delaware 
became an independent State she adopted a blue flag 
with white stars. Some one said that the flag looked 
like "a speckled blue hen." To-day the people of Dela- 
ware are sometimes called the "Blue Hen's Chickens." 
Delaware and Rhode Island were the smallest colonies, 
and they are to-day our smallest States. 

Pennsylvania's twin neighbors — the jerseys 

East of the Delaware — The same King Charles who 
granted the land west of the Delaware River to William 
Penn had some years before given the region east of 
the Delaware to his own brother, the Duke of York. 
The duke gave it to two of his friends, one of whom was 
governor of an island in the English Channel called Jer- 
sey Island, the home of Jersey cows. In compliment 
to his governor friend the duke named the territory New 
Jersey. The two proprietors divided their colony into 



PENNSYLVANIA AND HER NEIGHBORS 



95 



two parts, one called East Jersey 
and one W^est Jersey. Among the 
settlers were many Swedes and 
Dutchmen, besides many English 
Quakers. William Penn and some 
wealthy friends bought West Jersey, 
and afterward East Jersey, from the 
proprietors. But the governor of 
the adjoining colony of New York 
claimed the Jerseys as part of his 
colony, and there was so much con- 
troversy that finally Penn and his 
friends gave up their Jersey colonies to the king. The 
twin Jerseys were then united into one colony, called 
New Jersey. 




COLONIES ON THE 
DELAWARE RIVER. 



PENNSYLVANIA S DUTCH NEIGHBOR NEW YORK 

Some Things We Owe to the Dutch. — We should not 
forget how much the people of the little country of Hol- 
land did for our forefathers. The first settlers of New 
England found a refuge in Holland when driven from 
their own land, and from Holland they sailed to America. 
The mother of the owner of Pennsylvania was a Dutch 
lady, whose careful training of her son strengthened 
those noble traits that made him the successful founder 
of a great colony. In the wars which the Dutch fought 
to save their land from foreign oppressors many soldiers 
from England helped them. Among these English sol- 
diers were W^alter Raleigh, John Smith, Myles Stan- 
dish, and others who in Holland learned much that was 



96 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

useful to them in establishini^^ American colonies. In 
Pennsylvania and the two adjoining colonies of Dela- 
ware and New Jersey many of the first settlers were 
Dutch. There was one colony, however, which was 
truly a Dutch colony, for it was discovered, settled, and 
for many years ruled by the Dutch. This was Pennsyl- 
vania's northern neighbor, now known as the State of 
New York. 




THE HALF-MOON ON THE HUDSON, 

The First Dutch Ship Visits America. — Henry Hudson 
was an English captain, and a friend of John Smith. In 
the same year that John Smith sailed to Virginia, Cap- 
tain Hudson was sent by an English trading company in 
a small ship to find a way to India by sailing northeast — 
that is, north of Europe and Asia. He was stopped by 



PENNSYLVANIA AND HER NEIGHBORS 



97 



the ice and had to return. The "East India Company" 
of Holland was also anxious to find a short water route 
to India, and they employed Captain 
Hudson to sail for them in the same di- 
rection as he had sailed before. Again 
he was stopped by the ice. Now, Cap- 
tain John Smith had written from Vir- 
ginia to his friend Hudson that he had 
heard of a strait somewhere north of 
\^irginia by which a ship might sail 
through to India. Remembering this 
letter, Captain Hudson turned his ship 
westward and sailed for America. In 
the month of September, two years after 
Jamestown had been founded, Hudson's 
Dutch ship, the Half-Moon, entered 
what is now New York Bay. Sailing 
onward, the captain came to what 
seemed a great arm of the sea stretching 
up into the land. He now hoped he had 
at last discovered the way to India. 
But, continuing his course, he found 
that the supposed "strait" was a great 
river, which became narrower and shal- 
lower until his ship could go no farther. 
Seeing no prospect of reaching India, he 
turned back toward Holland. The ma- 
jectic river he had discovered was called 
the Hudson River in his honor. 

The Dutch Colony Founded. — The 
Dutch at once claimed the country on 



98 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

both banks of the Hudson Ri\'er, and sent out men to 
estabhsh trading- posts. These trading" posts were 
combinations of forts for holding- the country and stores 
at which hatchets, blankets, beads, and trinkets were 
sold to the Indians in trade for skins of animals. Later, 
settlements were made, the most important of which 
was on an island at the mouth of the Hudson, where 
the city of New York now stands. This settlement 
(1623) was called New Amsterdam, after one of the 




NEW AMSTERDAM (nEW YORK) IN 1 623. 

chief cities of Holland. One name for Holland is 
"the Netherlands" (which means "low lands"). So 
the Dutch named their American colony New Nether- 
lands, in memory of their old home. Like the Quakers 
of Pennsylvania, they bought their lands from the In- 
dians and lived peaceably with them. The entire island 
of Manhattan, on which New York now stands, was 
purchased for trinkets worth about twenty-four dollars, 



PENNSYLVANIA AND HER NEIGHBORS 



99 



or at the rate of about a thousand acres for a dollar. 
Now it would take many thousand dollars to buy one 
acre of this same land. 

New Netherlands Becomes New York. — The English 
claimed New Netherlands because of Cabot's discovery. 
At first they paid 
no attention to the 
Dutch settlements, 
but fifty years after 
New Amsterdam 
founded an 
fleet ap- 
peared in the har- 
bor and sent a 
message to Peter 
Stuyvesant, the 
Dutch governor, 
demanding the sur- 
render of the city 
and colon}^ The 
governor became 
very angry. He 
stamped around on 



was 
English 



his wooden leg and 




iglit Undcrwc.Kl & UiuiiM-wo..d. 

SCENE IN NEW YORK CITY, I912. 



swore he would 
ne\er surrender. But his Dutch subjects were not very 
fond of his rule. They thought they would like a 
change to the English, so they made the old governor 
surrender. The English changed both names. New 
Netherlands and New Amsterdam, to New York, in 
honor of the king's brother, the Duke of York, to whom 



100 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

the king had given all the Dutch possessions in 
America. 

Growth of the Colony. — For a long time the growth of 
the colony was slow. It was after the colonies had be- 
come States before the city of New York had as many 
people as Philadelphia, or the State of New York had as 
many people as Virginia. Now New York State is 
ahead of all the other States in population, and New 
York city is the largest city in our country. 

Whom did Penn find already settled on part of his land when he 
first came to America? Where? What was this part of Pennsyl- 
vania called? Tell about the "Blue Hen's Chickens." To whom was 
the land east of the Delaware granted? Explain the name "New 
Jersey." Why were there two Jerseys? By whom were the Jerseys 
bought ? To whom were they finally given ? What change was then 
made? Tell some things we owe to the people of Holland. What 
colony was founded by the Dutch ? Tell about the voyages Captain 
Henry Hudson made toward the northeast ; about Hudson's discovery 
of a great river. What did the Dutch claim? Tell about the Dutch 
trading posts. Where was the most important Dutch settlement? 
What name was given it? Explain the name the Dutch gave their 
colony. Tell about their purchase of Manhattan Island. What na- 
tion disputed the claim of the Dutch to New Netherlands ? What was 
the basis of the English claim? Tell about the conquest of the Dutch 
colony by Englishmen; of the change in names; of the growth of 
New York. 



CHAPTER VI 

The Rise of New France 
Cartier, the Explorer 

French Explorers in the North and West. — While Eng- 
Hshmen were busy clearing the forests and building 
homes along the Atlantic coast of North America bold 
pioneers of France were following the waterways and 
exploring the wilderness north and west of the English 
colonies. The Frenchmen established trading posts and 
settlements in the region they explored, named it New 
France, and claimed it for their king. The men fore- 
most in acquiring this great domain for France were 
Jacques Cartier, Samuel Champlain, Robert Cavalier de 
la Salle, and the Le Moyne brothers, Iberville and Bien- 
ville. 

Cartier Discovers the St. Lawrence River. — Nearly 
fifty years after Columbus's discovery, and fifty years 
before Raleigh sent his first ship to America, Jacques 
Cartier, sailing from France, reached the coast of New- 
foundland. Passing through the Gulf of St. Lawrence, 
he ascended the St. Lawrence River a short distance. 
To his disappointment he found no green fields and 
fertile valleys, but only a rocky, dismal land. Never- 
theless, his men disembarked from their ship, made a 
huge cross of cedar, and left it standing in the ground 
as a sign that they claimed the whole region for France, 



102 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OE OUR COUNTRY 

Cartier Carries off Two Indian Boys Indians gath- 
ered around the white-skinned stranirers, casrerlv watch- 
ing every movement, and Hstening intently to their queer- 
sounding speech. Cartier gave them presents of strings 
of glass beads and strips of bright calico. Two Indian 
boys were induced to visit the ships, and when they were 




EXPLORATIONS OF LA SALLE AND MARQUETTE. 

safe on board the cruel Frenchmen sailed away, taking 
the lads with them to France. The young Indians had 
never before seen a larger vessel than their bark canoes, 
and pro1)ably had never before sailed out of sight of 
land. Now as the land faded from sight behind them, 
and as dav after day nothing could be seen but the bound- 
less ocean, we mav be sure they l)ecame homesick for the 



THE RISE OF NEW FRANCE IO3 

woods and rocky streams of their wild western home. 
They were treated with all kindness, however, by their 
captors. On reaching France they were taken to the 
city of Paris and were presented to the king. The splen- 
did palaces and churches of the city, the silk and velvet 
robes of the king- and his attendants, the miles of grain 
fields and vineyards, all filled the boys with wonder. 

Cartier's Second Visit to America As soon as winter 

was over Cartier started on a second voyage to explore 
the waters of the St. Lawrence and to establish a settle- 
ment. The two Indian boys — the happiest people on his 
ship — accompanied him, eager to see their friends again 
and to tell of the wonderful things they had seen. Again 
ascending the river, Cartier reached the towering cliffs 
where now stands the city of Quebec. Here he found 
a cluster of wigwams, the capital city of the Indian chief 
Donnacona. The chief received the Frenchmen kindly, 
thanking them for their kindness to his young country- 
men. After a short stay with Chief Donnacona, Cartier 
and his men pushed up the river to visit the Indian village 
of Hochelaga, of which they had heard. 

Visit to the Village of Hochelaga — As Cartier's ships 
approached the village of Hochelaga troops of Indians 
thronged the river's bank, dancing and singing with de- 
light, and throwing gifts of fish and grain into the white 
men's boats. The Frenchmen landed, and were con- 
ducted to the village. Here they received a formal wel- 
come, after which they presented gifts of hatchets and 
knives to the men and beads to the women. To the 
Indian children they threw handfuls of pewter rings and 
images, causing a wild scramble and shouts of laughter. 



I04 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

Cartier named the mountain overlooking the village 
Mount Royal, or Montreal. To-day the great cities of 
Montreal and Quebec stand where once stood the two 
Indian villages visited by Cartier. 

Cartier 's Settlements Failures — Cartier 's party spent 
the winter near the present site of Quebec. But what 
with cold weather and disease they were glad enough 
to set sail for France as soon as spring released their 
ships from the ice. Cartier, undaunted, made a third 
voyage to Amercia. His attempted settlement again 
proved a failure, and he bade farewell to New France 
forever. Wars broke out in France between the Prot- 
estants and the Roman Catholics, and it was more than 
fifty years before another attempt was made by Cartier's 
countrymen to occupy New France. 

What were French pioneers doing while EngHshmen were mak- 
ing settlements along the Atlantic coast? Name the leading French 
pioneers. When did Cartier sail to America? Tell about his 
explorations ; about his landing. Tell about Cartier's first meeting 
with the Indians; about the visit of the Indian boys to France; about 
Cartier's second voyage. Where did he disembark? Tell about his 
visit to Hochelaga. What cities have since been built at places visited 
by Cartier? How long did Cartier's settlers remain in America? 
What caused the failure of his settlement? What delayed further 
attempts at settlement by the French? 



CHAMPLAIN, THE FATHER OF NEW FRANCE 

Slow Progress of Sixty Years — Sixty years have 
passed since Jacques Cartier, sailing homeward, looked 
for the last time at the rocky shores of Newfoundland. 
Meantime Sir Walter Raleigh has been spending a for- 



THE RISE OF NEW FRANCE 



105 



tune in vain efforts to establish his EngHsh colony of 
Virginia, yet, however, neither Englishmen nor French- 
men have succeeded in making a lasting settlement. 
From the Gulf of Mexico to the Arctic Ocean the only 
white men are a little group of Spaniards who had made 
a settlement at St. Augustine, Florida. 

The French Make Another Effort to Form a Settle- 
ment. — One spring day in the year 1604 two French ships 
approached the eastern coast 
of Nova Scotia. The leader of 
the expedition was Sieur de 
Monts, a French nobleman; 
closely associated with him was 
Samuel Champlain, a bold ex- 
plorer, who had visited Amer- 
ica several times before, and 
who during the rest of his life 
was to be the foremost man in 
the history of New France. 
The purpose of the expedition 
was to establish a settlement somewhere in the region 
Cartier had claimed for France. 

Champlain's Previous Voyages — As Champlain knew 
the country better than his companions he was a very 
important member of the company. During his first 
voyage to America, while in the service of Spain, he had 
visited the \Ytst India Islands, Alexico, and the Isthmus 
of Panama. On this voyage the idea of a ship canal 
across the isthmus suggested itself to his mind, as a 
means "by which the voyage to the South Sea (Pacific 
Ocean) would be shortened more than fifteen hundred 




CHAMPLAIN. 



Io6 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

leagues." (Three hundred years later, in our own day, 
Champlain's idea is ahout to he carried out hy the United 
States government.) In a second voyage to America, 
Champlain ascended the St. Lawrence River heyond the 
highest point reached hy Cartier, turning hack when the 
rapids stopped the progress of his hoat. De Monts's 
proposed expedition to found a colony attracted the ad- 
venturous Champlain to a third voyage to the Western 
world. 

The Settlement in Nova Scotia — After sailing around 
the southern extremity of Nova Scotia and along the 
coast of Maine in search of a good place for a settle- 
ment, the Frenchmen finally chose a heautiful harhor 
on the peninsula of Nova Scotia. Here they landed and 
made a settlement, which they named Port Royal. This 
was the first permanent French settlement in America, 
and was made in 1605 — just two years before the first 
English settlement at Jamestown. 

Quebec Founded. — Champlain went back to France, 
then returned to America. He hoped to establish a set- 
tlement on the St. Lawrence River, and to explore the 
great river to its source, believing that he would in this 
way find a western route to China. At the foot of a 
towering clifT where Jacques Cartier seventy years be- 
fore had found a flourishing Indian village Champlain 
landed and built a fort — the beginning of the city of 
Quebec (1608), a city which for more than a hundred 
years was to be the capital of New France. 

Champlain Joins an Indian War Party While at his 

fort on the St. Lawrence, Champlain was begged by 
some of the Indian tribes of Canada to join them in an 



THE RISE OF NEW FRANCE 107 

expedition against the Iroquois, who hved in what is 
now known as New York State. Desiring to explore 
the country of the Iroquois, Champlain joined the war 
party, and all embarked in their canoes on the River 
Sorel, and began their journey southward. At last they 
reached the beautiful lake now known as Lake Cham- 
plain, named from its discoverer. The dreaded Iroquois 
were encountered on the shores of the lake. A fight 
took place in which Champlain's gun so frightened the 
enemy that they ran at his second fire. The victorious 
Indians returned to their northern homes in triumph, 
and on parting with Champlain invited him to visit their 
towns, and aid them again in their wars. 

Other Explorations of Champlain — Several times 
afterward Champlain joined expeditions of his Indian 
friends against the hated Iroquois. On one of these 
expeditions he discovered Lake Huron and Lake On- 
tario. Again visiting France, he brought back to Que- 
bec his beautiful young wife. Madame Champlain re- 
mained four years in Canada, spending most of her time 
in trying to Christianize the Indian women, and in teach- 
ing the catechism of the Church to the Indian children. 
At last, after thirty years spent in the toilsome and 
dangerous work of exploring the forests and waters of 
New France, Champlain, now an old man of sixty-eight, 
lay on his deathbed in the fort at Quebec. On Christ- 
mas Day, 1635, the father of New France breathed his 
last. But as long as the mountains look down upon 
the beautiful lake that he discovered the name of Samuel 
Champlain will be remembered. 



Io8 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

What was done toward founding settlements in America in the sixty 
years that followed Cartier's last voyage? Who were the leaders of 
the next attempt to form a French settlement? Tell about Cham- 
plain's previous voyages. When and where did De Monts and Cham- 
plain make their settlement? Why is the Port Royal settlement 
important to remember? Tell about the founding of Quebec; the 
discovery of Lake Champlain. What other lakes did Champlain dis- 
cover? Tell about the visit of Champlain's wife to America; about 
the death of Champlain. 



THE FOUNDERS OF THE LOUISIANA TERRITORY 
LA SALLE 

Young La Salle Arrives in Canada. — Thirty years after 
the body of Champlain was buried in the frozen soil at 
Quebec, Robert Cavalier de la Salle, a young French- 
came to Canada and estab- 
lished a trading post a few 
miles above Montreal. Sev- 
eral years later he moved to 
the northern shore of Lake 
Ontario, where he built a fort 
called Fort Frontenac, from 
the French governor of Can- 
ada. As commander of Fort 
Frontenac, La Salle ruled 
with iron firmness his little 
empire, including soldiers, 
man twenty-three years old, 
traders, missionaries, adventurers, and Lidians. Al- 
though fast growing rich from the profits of his fui 
trade, he was not contented. He longed to explore the 
western watercourses, to find a passage to India, and to 




LA SALLE. 



THE RISE OF NEW FRANCE 109 

plant the banner of France still farther out in the un- 
known wilderness. 

La Salle Hears of Father Marquette's Discoveries. — 
While La Salle was still at Fort Frontenac news of 
the- discoveries of Father Marquette came to his ears. 
Father Marquette was a French missionary, who with a 
few companions pushed his way along- the Great Lakes 
in search of a great river of which the Indians had told 
him. From Green Bay, in the western part of Lake 
Michigan, Father Marquette's party ascended the Fox 
River to its source. Then, following an Lidian guide 
and carrying their canoes, they traveled through the 
woods to the Wisconsin River. Floating down the Wis- 
consin, to their joy they at last came to the great river 
they so much wished to see. They traveled hundreds 
of miles down the broad Mississippi, passing the mouths 
of the Missouri and the Ohio. When they had gone as 
far as the mouth of the Arkansas, fearing hostile In- 
dians, they turned back and reached Lake Michigan by 
the way of the Illinois River. Worn out by hardships 
of his long journey. Father Marquette died on the shores 
of Lake Superior, where the town of Marquette now 
stands. (See map, page 102.) 

La Salle Sails Down the Mississippi to Its Mouth La 

Salle now resolved to complete the work of Father Mar- 
quette, and to follow the unknown Mississippi to its 
mouth. With a party of Frenchmen and Indians he 
sailed through Lakes Ontario and Huron, and arrived 
at the southern shore of Lake Michigan. In his efforts 
to pass from Lake Michigan to the Mississippi he met 
with disasters that would have conquered a less heroic 



no THE BEr.TXNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

spirit. His ship of supplies from Canada failed to ar- 
rive, and he traveled back on foot a thousand miles 
through the icy woods to learn the cause of the delay. 
He returned to his task of finding a way to the Mis- 
sissippi. At one time his little company was almost 
starved when they came upon a buffalo stuck fast in the 
mud. They killed him and soon had plenty of buffalo 
meat to eat. At last La Salle ascended the Chicago 
River, and traversed the few miles of wilderness between 
that stream and the Illinois. Then he embarked on the 
Illinois, and floated down to the Mississippi. He contin- 
ued his journey down the great Father of Waters till 
he reached its mouth (in April, 1682). 

The Mississippi Valley Claimed for France. — La Salle 
named all the country drained by the JMississippi, Lou- 
isiana, in honor of King Louis of France. A short dis- 
tance above the mouth of the river he set up a column and 
a cross. Hymns were sung by the joyous Frenchmen, 
guns were fired, and La Salle in a loud voice proclaimed, 
*Tn the name of Louis the Great, King of France, I do 
take possession of this country of Louisiana, the seas, 
harbors, forts, bays, straits, and all the natives, peoples, 
cities, towns, mines, fisheries, streams, and rivers along 
the Mississippi and the rivers which discharge into it." 

La Salle Attempts to Plant a Colony at the Mouth of the 
Mississippi — La Salle and his party were the first white 
men to travel from the upper part of the great river to its 
mouth. Turning their boats up the stream, they made 
their way back to Canada. La Salle then returned to 
France and reported his discoveries to the king. King 
Louis was so well pleased that he gave the bold explorer 



THE RISE OF NEW FRANCE 



III 



four ships and plentiful supplies to found a colony at the 
mouth of the Mississippi. The expedition sailed by the 
way of Florida and the Gulf of Mexico. They missed 
the mouth of the Mississippi, however, and, going- too 
far west, landed on the shores of Texas at Matagorda 
Bay (1685). 




~-^}^,f/'^P' 



LA SALLE CLAIMING LOUISIANA FOR FRANCE. 



Death of La Salle. — La Salle built a fort on the Texas 
coast. Leaving part of his company at the fort, he set 
out with a few companions on the long overland journey 
to Canada to get help. La Salle was hated by some of 



112 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

his followers on account of his stern rule. When the 
party had passed the Trinity River these discontented 
men quarreled with the nephew of La Salle and killed 
him. Then, to save themselves, they resolved to kill 
their leader. A shot from a traitor hiding in the tall 







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LA SALLE LANDING ON THE TEXAS COAST. 

grass pierced the heart of the heroic La Salle. Li the 
forests of eastern Texas a faithful priest buried the body 
of the iron-hearted Frenchman who had done more than 
any other to extend the limits of French dominion in the 
West. 
Results of La Salle's Work. — La Salle had explored 



THE RISE OF NEW FRANCE II3 

the unknown Mississippi to its mouth ; he had claimed for 
France the immense region drained by the stream and its 
branches ; and he had given to this magnificent territory 
the name (Louisiana) which part of it still bears — a 
name that wiU always remind us of La Salle. But the 
effort of the great French explorer to hold the country 
for his king by making a settlement at the southern gate- 
way of Louisiana had failed. 

Who was La Salle? What did he do on his arrival in America? 
Where did he afterward build a fort? Tell about his rule of Fort 
Frontenac. What did La Salle hope to do ? Tell about Father Mar- 
quette's explorations ; the effect of the news upon La Salle. Tell about 
La Salle"s great exploration ; about the claim he made for France ; 
the name he gave the country. Where did La Salle then go? Tell 
about his expedition; about his death. What did La Salle accom- 
plish? What part of his plan failed? 

THE FOUNDERS OF THE LOUISIANA TERRITORY 
THE LE MOYNE BROTHERS 

The Family of Le Moyne — During the first years of 
young La Salle's stay in Canada he made frequent trips 
from his trading post on the St. Lawrence River to the 
near-by town of Montreal to buy ammunition and sup- 
plies and to dispose of the furs which he obtained from the 
Indians. On these visits La Salle may have seen, play- 
ing in the streets of Montreal or setting their traps in the 
woods outside the settlement, a group of Canadian boys, 
brothers, members of the Le Moyne family. There were 
twelve sons in this family of Le Moyne. Two of the 
boys were destined when they grew to manhood to carry 
out La Salle's plan of settlement in Louisiana, and to 
have their names associated in history with his as found- 



114 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 




LE MOYNE D IBERVILLE. 



ers of the o-reat French ]-)rovince in the Southwest. These 

two hrothers are hest known 
not by the family name of Le 
J\Ioyne but by the surnames 
their father gave them — Iber- 
ville and Bienville. The ex- 
plorations and settlements 
about which we have been 
studying- heretofore were 
made by natives of Spain, 
England, or France. Iber- 
ville and Bienville were born 
on American soil, and are 
among our first native Ameri- 
can explorers and colonizers. 
Iberville and His Expedition to Louisiana — The boy 
Iberville was fond of adventure. \\'hen fourteen years 
of age he joined the French navy. He was rai)idly pro- 
moted until, while yet a young man, he became captain of 
a war vessel. In his ship, the Pelican, he struck terror 
into the hearts of the enemies of France, sinking British 
ships on Hudson Bay and the neighboring waters, and 
capturing British forts in the St. Lawrence Valley. His 
successes made him the leading naval officer of France 
and the "idol of his countrymen." \\'hen the French 
king decided that La Salle's attempt to colonize Loui- 
siana should be renewed, Iberville was placed in com- 
mand of the expedition. Accompanied by his brother, 
Bienville, Iberville sailed from France with four ships 
and two hundred colonists. 



THE RISE OE NEW^ERANCE II5 

Iberville Explores the Gulf Coast. — As Iberville's ships, 
leaving- the French harbor of Rochelle, disappeared in the 
west the older citizens of the town doubtless remembered 
that jtist fourteen years before Iberville's departure La 
Salle had sailed on his last voyage from this same harbor 
and with the same purpose in view. No doubt the recol- 
lection of the former disastrous expedition caused many 
gloomy shakings of the head and whispered prophecies of 
misfortune from the crowd of idlers who watched the 
sailing of Iberville's ships. But the little fleet crossed 
the ocean in safety. Entering the Gulf of Mexico, Iber- 
ville examined the coast carefully as he proceeded, de- 
termined to avoid La Salle's mistake. Lie steered into 
the bay of Pensacola, Florida, but at the mouth of the 
harbor he unexpectedly encountered two Spanish war- 
ships, protected by a Spanish fort on the mainland. The 
Spaniards pointed their guns at the approaching fleet 
and politely insisted that the Frenchmen "move on." As 
Iberville was not ready for a fight he followed the sug- 
gestion. Coasting westward, his ships passed the en- 
trance to Mobile Bay (Alabama), and came to a small 
harbor in the present State of Mississippi. The harbor 
was explored and named Biloxi Bay, from the Biloxi 
Indians, a neighboring friendly tribe. 

Iberville Enters the Mouth of the Mississippi River. — 
Continuing their westward course Iberville's men 
reached the mouth of the 3^Iississippi and began to ascend 
the stream, uncertain, however, whether the river was 
actually the Mississippi or not. The Indian tribes on the 
banks of the river were friendly. The^^ gave the French- 



Il6 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

men some chickens, which they said they had obtained 
from tribes in the west (probably originally from the 
Spanish settlers in Mexico). In the possession of these 
Indians Iberville found a suit of Spanish armor which 
probably had belonged to one of De Soto's men. But 
what gave greatest joy to the Frenchmen was a letter 
which an Indian chief showed to Iberville. This letter 
was addressed to La Salle, and was written by Tonty, a 
former companion of La Salle. Tonty had descended 
the Mississippi from Illinois in search of his friend, and 
when unable to find him had left the letter with an Indian 
chief, to be delivered to La Salle if he should ever come 
that way. The letter proved to Iberville that he was sail- 
ing on the Mississippi River. 

The Frenchmen Encounter an English Ship — ^Vhile a 
few of Iberville's men, under his brother, Bienville, were 
returning to the mouth of the Mississippi in a rowboat 
they encountered an English ship entering the river. 
The English vessel was commanded by a Captain Barr, 
and bore a colony of French Huguenots who had been ex- 
pelled from France on account of their religion, and who 
were now sent by an English company to found a set- 
tlement under the English flag on the banks of the 
Mississippi River. Captain Barr stopped Bienville and 
questioned him about the river which he had entered. 
Bienville assured him that this stream was already occu- 
pied by the French, and advised him to search farther 
west for the Mississippi River. Accordingly the English 
captain turned his ship and, to the great joy of Bienville, 
sailed out into the^Gulf. The place where Captain Barr 
turned his .ship is still known as the "English Turn." 



THE RISE OF NEW FRANCE 



117 




FIRST SETTLEMENTS IN LOUISIANA. 



First Settlements in Mississippi and Alabama. — After 
several months' exploration of the river, Iberville re- 
turned to Biloxi Bay, where he established a settlement 
(1699). The 
French claimed, as 
part of Louisiana, 
the Gulf coast 
country as far east 
as Florida. Their 
settlements at Bil- 
oxi was the first 
capital of Louis- 
iana. 

On one of his exploring expeditions Iberville reached a 
high blufif on the east bank of the Mississippi in the coun- 
try of the Natchez Indians. The place seemed so beau- 
tiful that he declared the capital of Louisiana ought to 
be placed here. On this bluff Bienville afterward built 
a fort which was the beginning of the city of Natchez, 
Mississippi. 

The capital of Louisiana remained at Biloxi a few 
years. It was afterward removed to a place near where 
the city of Mobile now stands. Mobile was the first 
white settlement in the present State of Alabama. 

Death of Iberville. — Iberville explored the lower Mis- 
sissippi, built a fort near the mouth of the river, and es- 
tablished settlements on the Gulf coast. Meanwhile he 
made several voyages to France, returning each time with 
colonists and supplies. On one of these voyages he was 
taken ill with yellow fever contracted during a short stay 
in the West Indies, and died on board his ship. His 



Il8 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



body was taken to Havana, Cuba. There in the Church 
of St. Christopher, where the remains of Coktmbus 
rested for a time, the great French-American explorer 
was buried. 

The Founding of New Orleans. — After I])cr\illc's death 

his l)rother Bienville was ap- 
pointed governor of Louisiana. 
Governor Bienville determined 
to remove his capital to the 
banks of the Mississippi. The 
]ilace he selected was about one 
hundred miles from the mouth 
of the river, where the stream 
makes a great bend shaped like 
the new moon.. Here, in 1718, 
Bienville laid the foundations 
of a city which was named New 
Orleans, in honor of the French 
prince, the Duke of Orleans. The city is also known as 
the "Crescent City," from the shape of the bend in the 
river. 

The "Cassette" Girls — It was discovered that in 
Louisiana, as in the colony of Virginia before, there were 
too many roving, discontented bachelors. AA^ives were 
needed to make happy homes for the settlers. Accord- 
ingly, several shiploads of girls were brought from 
France, and the Louisiana priests were kept busy for a 
time performing marriage ceremonies. The maidens in 
one of these companies are known as the "cassette girls," 
because on their departure from France, each girl was 
presented with a trousseau in a trunk, or cassette. It is 




LE MOYNE DE BIENVILLE. 



THE RISE OF NEW FRANCE 



119 



said that all the "cassette girls" were married in less than 
a month save one. The hand of this coy maiden was 
sought in vain. Her Louisiana suitors did not please 
her, and she would have no man in the colony. 

The Louisiana Mosquitoes. — Hostile Indians were not 
the only foes that caused trou1)le to the colonists. One 
of the settlers, writing about the hardships of the new 
country, says: ''The greatest torment — in comparison 
with which all the rest would be but sport, which passes 
all belief and has never been even imagined in France, 
still less actually experienced — is that of mosquitoes, the 
cruel persecution of mosquitoes. The plagues of Egypt, 
I think, were not more cruel. This little insect has 
caused more swearing since the French have been in 
Louisiana than had previously taken place in the rest 
of the world." 




NEW ORLEANS IN I73O. 

Growth of New Orleans. — The new capital was favor- 
ably located for trade, but at first its growth was slow. 
At the time that Louisiana became a part of the United 
States — nearly one hundred years after the foundation 
of New Orleans — the city contained eight thousand in- 
habitants. The invention of the cotton gin and the 



120 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

steamboat gave a wonderful increase to the trade and 
population of the place. It is now the largest city in the 
Southern States and one of the greatest cotton markets 
in the world. A large number of the citizens of New 
Orleans are descendants of the. old French families of 
Bienville's time, while the names of many of her streets 
and many customs of her people are inherited from 
France. 

Death of Bienville. — Bienville lived forty-three l)usy 
years in Louisiana, and was three times governor of the 
province. . His last days were spent in France, but he 
never ceased to look upon Louisiana as his child. A 
short while before his death the news reached America 
that the King of France had given to Spain what was 
left to him of Louisiana (the English had taken in war 
the eastern half of the province — see page 158). The 
Louisianans held a great meeting in New Orleans and 
sent one of their number to France to beg the king not 
to give up his loyal subjects, but to take back his prov- 
ince. Bienville, an old man of eighty-seven, was then 
living in Paris. He accompanied the representative of 
Louisiana to the French court, and with tears joined in 
the prayer that Louisiana be not given up. But the re- 
quest was refused. When the old man realized that his 
beloved Louisiana had passed from the ownership of 
France his heart seemed to break and he died a few 
months later. Louisiana remained a Spanish possession 
for thirty-five years. Then it was given back to France 
(1800), and three years later became a part of the United 
States — see page 211. 



THE RISE OF NEW FRANCE 



121 



Through the work of 



French Territory in America. 

Cartier, Champlain, La Salle, Iberville, and Bienville 
France came into the possession of the heart of the North 




FRENCH TERRITORY 
IN AMERICA, 1750. 



American continent — a great wedge-shaped region ex- 
tending between the Rocky Mountains and the Allegha- 
nies from the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes on 
the north to the Gulf of Mexico on the south. At one 
end of this territory were the French towns of Port 
Royal, Quebec, and Montreal; at the other were New 
Orleans, Biloxi, and Mobile. A long line of widely sepa- 
rated forts connected these distant settlements. 

Where was La Salle stationed when he first came to Canada ? Tell 
about his visits to Montreal; the Le Moyne family; the two most 
famous members of this family. Tell of Iberville's early life; his 
success as a naval officer; the expedition to America under his com- 
mand. From what harbor did this expedition sail ? Compare Iber- 
ville's expedition with La Salle's. What occurred when Iberville 
reached Pensacola, Fla. ? What bay did he enter and name ? Tell 
of his entrance upon the Mississippi and his experiences with the 



122 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

Indians. Give an account of the meeting of Bienville and Captain 
Barr. Where did Iberville establish the first capital of Louisiana? 
When? Tell of the beginning of Natchez, Miss.; of the removal of 
the capital from Biloxi ; the death of Iberville ; his burial place. What 
had he accomplished in Louisiana? Who was the founder of New 
Orleans? What can you say of the location of the city? origin of 
its name? Tell of the bringing of young women from France; of 
the suffering of the colonists from mosquitoes ; the growth of New 
Orleans. Can you mention any French names or French customs in 
New Orleans to-day? To what nations did France give up Louisi- 
ana? Describe Bienville's attempt to prevent the last transfer. Give 
the extent of American territory acquired for France; the names of 
her great explorers. 



CHAPTER VII 

Pictures of Life in the Colonies 
General \^iew of the Colonies 

Three Hundred Years Ago. — If some fairy b}- waving a 
magic wand conld show us our country as it appeared 
about three hundred years ago, what changes would she 
have to make ! All of our towns and cities, railroads, 
telegraphs, wagon roads, bridges, churches, schools, 
farmhouses, fields of cotton and of grain would disap- 
pear. In their stead would be one great stretch of forest 
and prairie, inhabited by wandering Indians and wild 
animals. For, you must remember, it was about three 
hundred years ago that Jamestown was founded. The 
only white settlers then in all of North America besides 
the little group of Englishmen on the banks of the James 
River, in Virginia, were a few^ Spaniards at the town of 
St. Augustine, in Florida, other Spaniards at scattered 
settlements in ]Mexico, and some Frenchmen just arrived 
at the mouth of the St. Lawrence. No one knew how far 
westward from the Atlantic coast the North American 
continent extended. Many believed that some strait or 
water passage could be found connecting the Atlantic 
with the Pacific. 

One Hundred and Fifty Years Ago. — Let us suppose 
our fairy by another wave of her magic wand could carry 

123 



124 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

US forward to a time halfway between the founding of 
Jamestown and the present day. One hundred and fifty 
years have passed since our first picture. During this 
time many changes have taken place. Of the three na- 
tions who first sent colonists to this country, one, the 
Spanish, has not extended its settlements, but is still 
confined to Florida and Mexico. The French have 
pushed up the St. Lawrence River, through the Great 
Lakes, and down the Mississippi to its mouth, founding 
few settlements, but establishing many forts and trading 
posts, making friends w^ith the Indians, and claiming the 
country for their king. But the people who have in- 
creased most in numbers and have taken the firmest hold 
upon America are the English. Instead of one strug- 
gling' settlement on the banks of the James, there are 
now thirteen English colonies, bordering the Atlantic 
coast from New Hampshire to Georgia. These thirteen 
English colonies were the beginning of our great and 
powerful country, the United States. We shall now 
study something of the manners and customs of the set- 
tlers and try to find out what sort of people our colonial 
forefathers were in their everyday life. 

The English Colonies — The thirteen English colonies 
have been studied by you in three groups: (i) The 
Southern colonies, including Virginia and her neighbors, 
Maryland, North and South Carolina, and Georgia; (2) 
the Northern, or New England, colonies, including Mas- 
sachusetts and her neighbors, Connecticut, Rhode Is- 
land, and New Hampshire; (3) the Middle colonies, in- 
cluding Pennsylvania and her ^neighbors, New York, 
New Jersey, and Delaware, 



PICTURES OF LIFE IN THE COLONIES 



125 



These colonies lay along the Atlantic coast from Mas- 
sachusetts (which then included the present State of 
Maine) on the 
north to Geor- 
gia on the south. 
The Alleghany 
Mountains 
marked the 
western limit of 
the white settle- 
ments, although 
the whole re- 
gion as far west 
as the Missis- 
sippi River was 
claimed by sev- 
eral colonies. 
The oldest col- 
ony, and also the 
largest, was Virginia. Next in age to Virginia came the 
New England colony of Massachusetts, then the Middle 
colony of New York ; Georgia was the youngest colony. 
The baby sisters in size then, as now, were Rhode Island 
and Delaware. 

Differences in Language and Customs While the peo- 
ple of the thirteen colonies were chiefly English, yet there 
were among them many settlers from other nations. In 
New York the Dutch were numerous ; in New Jersey and 
Delaware, Swedes; in Pennsylvania and Georgia, Ger- 
mans ; in South Carolina, French. These people gradu- 
ally learned the English language, and in time all be- 




MAP c:)F THE COLUXIES. 



126 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

came Americans. Yet for a long- while they kept up 
many of the customs of their old homes, and thus caused 
differences hetween the colonies. 

Difference in Religion — In those days religious helief 
made a much greater difference hetween people than it 
does now. We have seen that the English colonists were 
not all of the same religion. In New England most of 
the people were Puritans, or Separatists ; in the Southern 
colonies memhers of the Church of England, or Epis- 
copal Church, were numerous. Pennsylvania was the 
home of Quakers, and jNIaryland of Roman Catholics. 
While Roger ^^'illiams in Rhode Island, Lord Baltimore 
in Maryland, and William Penn in Pennsylvania tried 
to provide fair treatment for those of dift'erent religious 
views, yet in most of the colonies those denominations not 
in power were oppressed hy harsh laws. Thus the re- 
ligious beliefs of the settlers caused the colonies to differ. 

Difference in Occupation — The people of the Southern 
colonies were chiefly farmers. Most of the farms 
covered hundreds of acres, and these large farms were 
called plantations. The chief crops were tobacco (in 
Maryland, Virginia and North Carolina) and rice and 
indigo (in South Carolina and Georgia). \'ery little 
cotton was then raised. There were few towns in the 
Southern colonies. The homes of the planters were on 
the banks of deep rivers, so that wdien cloth, tools, and 
such things as the colonists themselves could not make 
were needed, these goods could be bought from English 
there were scarcely any stores in the South. In the New 
ships that landed almost at their doors. For this reason 
England colonies the soil was not rich as in the South, 



PICTURES OF LIFE IN THE COLONIES 



127 



and farming did not pay. Small patches of ground were 
cultivated, hut the people made their living chiefly hy 
fishing and trading. So there were many towns and vil- 
lages and no large plantations. In the Middle colonies, 
as in the South, farming was a favorite occupation. 
Wheat, oats and rye were the usual crops. 

Tell something about the appearance of our country when James- 
town was founded, three hundred years ago. What changes had taken 
place one hundred and fifty years later — halfway between the founding 
of Jamestown and to-day? What can you say of the progress of 
English settlements? Name the colonies included in each of the three 
groups we have studied. What were the boundaries of the colonies, 
taken as a whole ? Which was the oldest colony ? the youngest ? the 
largest? the smallest? Tell about the different languages and cus- 
toms among the colonists ; the difference in religion ; in occupations. 

STORY OF A NEW ENGLAND BOY 

Let US picture in our minds the home life o.f a New 
England hoy of colonial times. 

The Early Morning-. — It was hardly daylight one cold 
December morning when tv/elve-year-old Josiah Quincy 
was awakened by his mother 
calling to him and to his 
brother Ezekiel that it was 
time to get up. The boys 
hurried into their clothes, 
their teeth chattering in the 
cold, and hastened downstairs 
to do their share of the morn- 
ing's work. There were no stoves in those days, 
cooking was done in the great kitchen fireplace, which 
was high enough for a man to stand in without stooping, 
and big enough to hold nearly a wagonload of wood. 




FLINT AND STEEL. 



The 



128 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 




NEW ENGLAND KITCHEN OF 1:aRLY TIMES, 



The father had already scraped away the ashes which he 
had placed over the burning logs the night before. As 
matches were unknown the fire was not allowed to die 
out, but at night the coals were carefully covered with 
ashes. If by mischance there were no coals, fire was 
kindled by striking a piece of steel against a flint rock 
until the sparks came and were caught in dry shavings 
or scorched linen cloth. 

Occupation before Breakfast — As the boys stood be- 
fore the fire rubbing their cold hands the mother busied 
herself preparing to cook mush in one of the pots that 
hung from an iron hook over the fire, and to roast in the 
hot ashes the potatoes and dried herring-fish which the 



PICTURES OF LIFE IN THE COLONIES 



129 



father had just brought up from the cellar. The cellar 
was a large, dark room dug under the house, in which 
were stored heaps of potatoes, turnips, and apples, and 
other articles of food for winter use. Ezekiel, happen- 
ing to glance toward the window, suddenly called out, 
"Look, it is snowing again." Both boys ran toward the 
window and climbed into a chair (for the window sill was 
higher than their heads). They peered through the lit- 
tle panes of coarse green glass at the snowflakes that fell 
noiselessly against the window. Their older sister. Com- 
fort, called them to come with 
her to help milk the cows; and 
buttoning up their coats tight 
under their chins, and pulling 
their hats down over their ears, 
the boys, each with a bucket un- 
der his arm, scampered through 
the snow ahead of their sister. 
After the milking Josiah drew 
some water from the well with a 
bucket hung from a long pole called a well sweep, while 
Ezekiel carried a bucketful into the house for his mother. 

Queer Names. — You must have noticed what queer 
names the New England boys and girls of that time had. 
The father and mother of Josiah and Ezekiel were 
known as Goodman and Goodwife Quincy. Besides 
their older sister, Comfort, there were the eight-year-old 
sister, Deliverance, and little Thankful, the baby. Their 
mother's given name was Seaborn, because she was born 
on the ship that brought her parents from England. 

Duties of the Household. — Breakfast over, the boys 




OLD WELL SWEEP. 



I30 



THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



drove the cows to the "common," a large open field used 
by all the townspeople as a pasture. Then they got ready 
for school. Meanwhile the mother and sisters were not 
idle. Goodwife Quincy prepared to make soap in one of 
the huge kettles in the fireplace, while Comfort with the 
big spinning wheel spun into thread for cloth some wool 
which her father had sheared from the sheep. When the 
cloth was made, or woven, it was cut out and stitched into 
warm clothes. The sewing was done with the fingers, 
for there were no sewing-machines in those days. Lit- 
tle Deliverance, after sweeping the room, seated herself 
by the baby's cradle, with her knitting in her lap; for 
although only eight years old, she was a good knitter and 
had already made a pair of big stockings for each of her 
brothers. 

His School. — The school which Josiah and Ezekiel at- 
tended was taught by a man two months in the winter. 
Only boys attended the winter school. In the summer 

came the girl's time. 
Then a lady teacher 
was employed, and .a 
school for girls and 
little boys was held for 
two months. The sal- 
ary of the teachers was 
small, yet they did not 
have to pay anything for board. The teacher lived in 
turn at the homes of his pupils, staying longest with 
those families that had most children in school. Good- 
man and Goodwife Quincy always welcomed the teacher, 
and gave him the best food on the table and the warmest 




COLONIAL FURNITURE. 



PICTURES OF LIFE IN THE COLONIES 



131 



place by the fire. On the long winter evenings he 
helped the boys with their lessons and sometimes held 
the yarn for Comfort as she spun, or sometimes he es- 
corted her to spinning matches or to quilting parties. 
Dancing parties and theaters were strictly forbidden. 
When Josiah and Ezekiel are older they will be sent to 
Harvard College, which was situated three miles from 
Boston and was the oldest college in all the colonies. 
Girls were not admitted to any college. 

The Schoolhouse and Schoolbooks. — The schoolhouse 
was made of rough boards, and contained one room with 
a great fireplace in He that ne.er learns his A, B.C. 
one. end. The seats ^^^ ever wili a Blockhead be ; 
were benches with no 
backs, and so high 
that the feet of the 
smaller boys could not 
touch the floor. For a 
desk a wide plank, or 
shelf, projecting from 
the wall was used. 
Blackboards and maps 
were unknown. The 
books studied were the 
Horn Book, the New 
England Primer, the 
Catechism, and the 
Bible. The Horn book 
was a sheet of paste- 

, 1 ... PAGE FROAI NEW ENGLAND PRIMER. 

board on which were 

written the letters of the alphabet and as many easy 




132 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



words as could be crowded upon it. This pasteboard 
was set in a frame like a slate, and both sides covered 
with thin sheets of horn, through which tlie letters could 
be seen, and which kept them from being soiled by the 
pupils' fingers. There were no copy-books and arith- 
metics, but the teacher taught his pupils to write and 
"cipher" without a book. 

Saturday's Work and Play — Saturday then, as now, 
was holiday. Sometimes Josiah and Ezekiel were kept 
busy all day Saturday helping to churn or to dig pota- 
toes or to make candles ( for there were no lamps in those 
days, and gas and electric lights had not been dreamed 
of). "Dip" candles were made by dipping a wick into 
melted tallow, then cooling it and dipping it again until 

enough tallow stuck to 
the wick. "Mold" can- 
dles were made by pour- 
ing the melted tallow into 
hollow tin tubes the size 
of candles. But the boys 
often had most of Satur- 
day to themselves. Then 
they were off to the woods 
to set traps for rabbits or 
foxes, or with other boys they slid down the snowy hill- 
sides on their homemade sleds, or skated on the ice of 
the brook. A favorite game was playing soldier. One 
of the boys was chosen captain ; then arming themselves 
with sticks for guns, they marched or halted at the cap- 
tain's order, or charged upon make-believe Indians, con- 
cealed behind piles of brush. 




CANDLE MOLDS, CANDLE, AND 
CANDLESTICK. 



PICTURES OF LIFE IN THE COLONIES 1 33 

The Books in His Home. — Books for children's reading 
were not made in those days. Indeed, books of any 
kind were scarce and costly. On the bookshelf in 
Josiah's home, however, were eight or ten books. Here 
are the names of some of them : The Lives of the Mar- 
tyrs, The Dreadful Effects of Popery, The Law of Na- 
tions, The Improvement of the Mind. Not very interest- 
ing to a boy do these sound. But there were two other 
books which Josiah and Ezekiel had read so often that the 
covers were getting worn and the binding loose. On the 
long winter evenings when there were no lessons to be 
studied the boys loved to stretch themselves on the floor 
in front of the fire, and by the light of the blazing logs 
bury themselves in the delightful pages of Pilgrim's 
Progress and Robinson Crusoe. And then on one end of 
the bookshelf was a pile of "almanacs," one for each 
year for the last twenty years. These "almanacs" con- 
tained scraps of history, poetry, anecdotes, and jokes, 
and they were full of interest to every member of the 
family able to read. 

His Sabbath — On Saturday evening the family began 
to get ready for Sunday. After sunset on Saturday no 
games were allowed, nor could Robinson Crusoe or the 
almanacs be read. Before the evening prayer was of- 
fered the father called all the larger children around him 
and had them repeat the catechism and some of the 
hymns or psalms they had already committed to memory. 

Sunday morning found our two boys at church dressed 
in brand new suits made by their mother and older sister. 
There was a large congregation, for the law was that 
any one staying away from church save for sickness or 



134 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

some equally good excuse might be arrested and made to 
pay a fine or be put in the stocks. As Goodman Quincy 
was a church officer he took his seat near the pulpit. His 
wife sat on the side of the church reserved for women. 
Josiah and Ezekiel took their places with the children be- 
hind the grown people. There was no organ and no 
choir. A man, called the clerk, stood up in front of the 




STOCKS. 



pulpit and read out one line of the hymn at a time ; then 
all the people sang it. On the pulpit beside the Bible was 
an hourglass, which looked like two little glass funnels 
joined together at the small ends and with the large ends 
closed. One-half of the hourglass was filled with sand, 
and in just one hour all the sand ran down from the 



PICTURES OF LIFE IN THE COLONIES 1 35 

Upper half into the lower half of the glass. Then the 
preacher turned the hourglass over, and in another hour 
the sand ran back. As there were no watches in those 
days hourglasses were often used to measure time. As 
the minister began his sermon the boys listened carefully 
for the text and repeated it over and over to themselves, 
for they knew their father would expect them to say it 
when they reached home. After the text it was hard to 
keep awake, for much of the sermon could not be under- 
stood by children. The minister had turned the hour- 
glass the second time, and Ezekiel's eyes were half- 
closed, when the words ''roaring lion," uttered by the 
preacher as he brought his fist down on the pulpit with a 
bang, caused the boy to start. He leaned over to Josiah 
and proposed to him in a whisper that they go into the 
woods the first thing next day and look at their new fox 
trap. Before Josiah could answer both boys felt a sharp 
tap on the back of their heads. The "tithing man," 
whose duty it was to keep the children quiet and the 
grown people awake, had with his long rod,. tipped with 
a rabbit's foot, rapped the heads of the whisperers. You 
may be sure they sat up straight during the rest of the 
sermon. 

His Day in Boston — Sometimes Goodman Quincy had 
to go to Boston on business, and usually one of the boys 
was allowed to accompany him. As it was a fifteen-mile 
ride old Sol was saddled and bridled early in the morning. 
Josiah climbed up behind his father. Ezekiel stayed at 
home this time, as he went with his father last month. 
When they reached town the horse was hitched to one 
of the racks on the common, and Josiah's father hurried 



136 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

off to transact his business. Meanwhile Josiah wan- 
dered down to the wharves to see the ships. There were 
whahng vessels from the northern seas, with cargoes of 
whale oil and whalebone. Hundreds of small fishing 
vessels from the coasts near by were unloading great 
quantities of fresh fish. A schooner from the West In- 
dies was bringing in barrels of molasses, which was made 
by the New Englanders into a cheap liquor, called rum. 
A ship from England was unloading a cargo of cloth, 
knives, tableware, and other things the colonists were not 
allowed to make themselves. There was a ship just get- 
ting ready to leave for England. She was loaded with 
great pine logs which were to be made into masts for 
ships. Barrels of salted fish were being loaded on other 
vessels soon to sail to the West Indies. There was a 
large new ship which Josiah examined with great curi- 
osity, for some one had told him it was a "slaver," and 
was to sail to Africa in a few days. Just then it was be- 
ing loaded with casks of rum. This rum would be given 
to African chiefs in exchange for negro men, women, and 
children captured by them. The captive negroes would 
be stowed away on the "slaver" and taken to the South- 
ern colonies, where they would be sold as slaves to work 
the tobacco, rice, and indigo plantations. While Josiah 
was looking at the ship the governor's carriage hurried 
by, driven by a negro slave. But there were not many 
slaves in New England. The climate was too cold for 
them, and they were best suited for farm work on large 
plantations. 

Thus working, playing, going to school, and attending 
church, the New England boys and girls grew up to be 



PICTURES OF LIFE IN THE COLONIES 1 37 

industrious, intelligent, churchgoing men and women, 
who did their share in making our country the powerful 
nation it is to-day. 

How old was the New England boy in our story? Tell what took 
place before breakfast in Josiah's home. What queer names were 
found ? After breakfast what wer-e the boys' duties ? the mother's ? 
the older sister's? the younger sister's? Tell about the school the 
boys attended ; the teacher ; the schoolhouse ; the books studied. What 
work did the boys sometimes do on Saturday ? How did they spend 
their holidays? What books were found in their home? Tell about 
the preparation for Sunday. What was the law about churchgoing? 
How were the members of Josiah's family seated in church ? Tell 
about the singing; the hourglass. What were the children required 
to remember? Tell about the tap on the head Josiah received in 
church ; about his visit to Boston, and what he saw. 

THE STORY OF A SOUTHERN BOY 

Let us now take a look at the home life of a Southern 
boy and girl in the old colonial times. 

Saturday Morning — In our minds we can picture a 
white boy, accompanied by a negro companion, wander- 
ing through the woods near the banks of the Rappahan- 
nock River, in the colony of Virginia. The white boy 
carried a gun upon his shoulder, and his hunting suit of 
coarse, strong cloth was discolored from frequent use. 
The negro boy who addressed his companion as "Mars' 
George," carried a game bag well stocked with squirrels 
and partridges. He was barefooted, and his trousers 
and shirt showed several patches of different colors. His 
kinky hair could be seen through the holes in the crown 
of the old hat that came down over his ears. A fine set- 
ter dog ran through the woods to right and left, just 
ahead of the young hunters. 



138 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

His Father's Tobacco Field — Coming to the edge of 
the woods, George and black Jasper made their way 
through a great tobacco field in which twenty or thirty 
negro men and women were at work cutting the long- 
leaved plants and placing them in the wagons which were 
to carry them to the great tobacco barns in the distance. 
A white man, called an ''overseer," rode about among 
the negroes, directing them in their work. They did not 
seem to mind the hard work nor the hot sun, but were 
laughing and singing at the top of their voices. Their 
songs had strange tunes. Sometimes there were no 
words, only musical sounds, and sometimes they made up 
the words as they sang. Here is one verse of a song the 
negroes often sang : 

"O, whar shall we go w'en de great day comes 
Wid de blowin' er de trumpits en de bangin' er de drums? 
How many po' sinners'U be kotched out late, 
En fin' no latch ter de golden gate? 
No use fer ter wait till ter-morrer ! 
De sun mustn't set on yo' sorrer ! 
Sin's ez sharp ez a bamboo brier, 
O Lord, fotch de mo'ners up higher !'* 

His Home. — As the boys neared the house a negro man 
came out to the end of the long porch toward the to- 
bacco field, and blew a blast from a great tin horn. This 
meant twelve o'clock, and was a signal for the field hands 
to stop work for dinner. George handed his gun to 
Jasper, and, bidding him take the game around the house 
to the kitchen and prepare it to be cooked for supper, ran 
up to his room to change his soiled hunting suit and 
bathe his face and hands before coming down to dinner. 



PICTURES OF LIFE IN THE COLONIES 



139 



While George is getting ready for dinner let us take 
a look at his home, A grassy lawn dotted with stately 
trees stretched away in front of the house toward the 
riv'er, which sparkled in the sunlight just beyond the "big 
road." The house was two stories high with a broad 
front porch extending the width of the house, supported 
by massive columns. Behind the house, in the distance, 
were the stables and barns, and long rows of cabins. 




SOUTHERN COLONIAL HOME — THE HERMITAGE. 



called the "quarters," the homes of the negro slaves. To 
the right of the house was the garden, laid out in prim 
style with perfectly clean walks between well-kept beds 
shaped in triangles, sc^uares, and circles. In the part of 
the garden next the house were the flowers, the special 
care of Elizabeth, or "Betty," George's sister. Here 
were hedges of lilacs, beds of sunflowers, roses, tiilips, 
pinks, peonies, poppies, and hollyhocks. Geraniums, 



I40 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

verbenas, chrysanthemums, and many other of our fa- 
vorite flowers were then unknown. Among the veg- 
etables of which George's people had never heard were 
the tomato, the eggplant, and okra. Years afterward 
the seed of the tomato was brought to this country from 
France, and the plant was cultivated in flower gardens 
for ornament. The fruit was thought for a long time to 
be poisonous, and was called the love apple. 

His Dinner. — A negro boy somewhat smaller than 
Jasper came to the dining-room door and rang the bell 
for dinner. George's mother, Mrs. Washington, in a 
simple black gown, took her seat at the head of the table. 
George sat opposite his mother and asked God's blessing 
before beginning to eat, for his father had died three 
years before, and he, as the eldest of his mother's chil- 
dren, must take his father's place. On both sides of the 
table were seated the other children — Elizabeth, a girl of 
thirteen, and the three younger boys, Samuel, Augustine, 
and Charles. A negro man, with long white apron 
reaching from his chin to his knees, waited upon the 
table. 

Dinner over, the younger boys got their mother's per- 
mission to accompany Uncle Chess, an old negro slave, 
to the river near by to catch fish. George and his 
mother and Elizabeth took their seats on the front porch. 
Elizabeth busied herself with a handkerchief she was 
embroidering, while George and his mother talked ear- 
nestly over the afi:'airs of the plantation. 

Entertainment of Visitors — Late in the afternoon, 
while George, with Jasper's help, was busy in the -back 
yard cleaning his gun, two horsemen rode up to the gate 



PICTURES OF LIFE IN THE COLONIES 



141 



in front of the house. Mrs. Washington, who had seen 
them approaching, called to Jasper to run and take 
charge of the gentlemen's horses. George came 
through the house and met the strangers at the front 
porch with a hearty welcome. They proved to be two 
planters on their way to Williamsburg, the capital of the 
colony. You must remember that there were no rail- 




STAGECOACH AND INN. 



roads in those days. On a few of the most-traveled 
wagon roads a stagecoach passed about once a week, 
drawn by four or six horses and carrying passengers in- 
side with their baggage strapped on behind. The roads 
were so rough that most of the traveling was done on 
horses. The horseback traveler carried his baggage in 
great leather "saddlebags." 

The Plantation Parlor — The strangers had hardly 
taken their seats on the porch when Mrs. Washington 



142 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



appeared and gave them a cordial g-reeting, inviting them 
to pass the night at her home. One of the negroes car- 
ried their saddlebags to the guest room upstairs, which 
was always kept ready for visitors. After supper the 
family, with the two visitors, assembled in the parlor, a 
large room furnished with a shiny black sofa and stifif- 
backed chairs, its small-paned windows hung with dimity 
cm'tains. From the great fireplace, adorned with a huge 

bouquet of brilliant-colored 
autumn leaves, brass and- 
irons shone forth like gold. 
Over the mantel hung a por- 
trait of George's father as 
|^^^^^^;~-lij[$|i|^ a young man. On the walls 

were' several other portraits, 
among them one of George's 
mother in her 
There was 

any sideboard which held a 
handsome silver bowl, pitcher, and goblets that once be- 
longed to George's great-grandfather. In one corner of 
the room was a harpsichord, a musical instrument re- 
sembling a small three-cornered piano. The parlor was 
lighted by several candles fixed in tall silver candlesticks. 
After some time spent in conversation one of the guests 
asked Betty to give them some music. At once, with- 
out waiting to be "begged," she stepped to the harpsi- 
chord, and played one of the pieces her mother had 
taught her. 

The Guest Chamber. — Bedtime always came early in 
George's home, and it was the custom to hold family 




HARPSICHORD. 



girlhood, 
a tall mahog- 



PICTURES OF LIFE IN THE COLONIES 



143 



prayers before retiring. Since her husband's death Mrs. 
Washington had trained George to take his father's place 
and read from the prayer book the form of family wor- 
ship. To-night, however, at her request, one of her 
guests led the prayer, after which the good-nights were 
said, and a servant with lighted candle led the strangers 
upstairs to their room. The bed in this room would seem 
queer to a boy or girl of to-day. In the first place, it was 
so high that you would think one would have to climb 
into it with the help of a chair, and if the sleeper should 
chance to roll out of bed he would get a severe bump. 
Then the tall bedposts at the four corners of the bed 
almost touched the low ceiling, and from them curtains 
of spotless white were draped. The bedspread, home- 
made and woven in fancy patterns, reached down to the 
floor. The pillows, arrayed in their starched pillow 
shams, rested stiffly upon the bolster. The sheets were 
spotlessly clean and the mat- 
tress comfortable, so there is 
no doubt the visitors slept 
soundly. 

His Sabbath — Sunday 
morning the household pre- 
pared for church. The 
guests accepted Mrs. Wash- 
ington's invitation and took 
seats in the family carriage 
with Betty and her mother, while George on one horse 
and the two younger boys on another accompanied them. 
On the driver's seat of the carriage sat black Caesar, feel- 
ing his importance as, arrayed in his Sunday best and 




CHURCH WASHINGTON 
ATTElsfDED. 



144 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

flourishing his whip, he held a tight rein on the spirited 
horses. By his side was the black boy Tom, ready to 
jump down and open the carriage door when a stop was 
made. As they neared the church a number of horses 
and carriages were seen in the shade of the great trees 
that surrounded the building, while others were ap- 
proaching from different directions. The church was a 
small brick building with square doors and arched win- 
dows. Inside were tall straight-backed pews, each en- 
tered by a door, which the occupant always closed be- 
hind him. There was a gallery on one side, in which the 
negroes were seated. The minister wore a robe, or sur- 
plice, and he reached his high pulpit by climbing a wind- 
ing stairway. The service was that of the Episcopal 
Church. George and his sister and brothers each had a 
prayer book and joined heartily and reverently in all the 
responses. 

His School — On Monday morning the young folks 
were up bright and early to get ready for school. The 
schoolhouse was five miles distant. A negro manservant 
usually accompanied the children to and from school. 
They rode horseback and carried their dinners with them. 
It was not a free school, but parents paid for the tuition 
of their children. The attendance of pupils was small, 
chiefly because the planters lived so far apart that it was 
almost impossible for children to attend regularly. The 
schoolhouse of that day had uncomfortable "homemade" 
desks and seats, and was not supplied with maps or black- 
boards. It was known as an "old-field school," because 
it stood in an old field that from long use had become un- 
fit for cultivation. The teacher was sometimes the 



PICTURES OF LIFE IN THE COLONIES I45 

church sexton, sometimes the minister. The girls were 
usually taught privately at home by a governess or tutor. 
The older boys were sent to William and Mary College 
at Williamsburg. 

Outdoor Life and Sports. — The Southern people were 
fond of horses and of horseback riding. Every white 
family kept a horse, and the rich planters had stables full 
of the finest animals. The planter never walked except 
about the house. Every morning his horse, all saddled 
and bridled, groomed and curried until he shone like silk, 
was brought to his door by a negro slave. The poor 
farmer who owned no slave would often spend hours 
tramping through the woods to find and catch his horse 
in order to ride two or three miles to church or to the 
courthouse or to visit a neighbor. Horse racing, fox 
hunting, and deer hunting were favorite sports for men 
and boys. Open air barbecues were frequent, at which 
plenty of fun was provided for everybody. A Virginia 
newspaper of colonial times gives notice that "On St. 
Andrew's Day there are to be Horse Races and several 
other Diversions for the entertainment of the Gentle- 
men and Ladies at the Old Field near Capt. John Bicker- 
ton's." The program provided, among other things, 
"That a violin be played for by twenty Fiddlers, no per- 
son to have the liberty of playing unless he bring a fiddle 
with him. After the prize is won they are all to play 
together, and each one a different tune, and to be treated 
by the company." "That twelve boys of twelve years of 
age do run a hundred and twelve yards for a Hat of the 
cost of twelve shillings." "That a handsome entertain- 
ment be provided for the subscribers and their wives; 



146 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



and such of them as are not so happy as to have wives 
may treat any other body." 

A Visit to Williamsburg, the Capital To Southern 

boys and girls af colonial times there was no more joyous 
event than a visit to the capital of the colony. A favorite 
time for the trip was while the lawmakers of the colony 
were holding their yearly meeting. Then we may pic- 
ture a Virginia planter and his wife with their two old- 
est children taking their places in the family coach, and 

amid the good-byes 
of children and serv- 
ants left behind they 
are whirled away to 
\\ illiamsburg. They 
find the little town 
aroused from its usual 
sleepiness. Its streets 
are filled with visitors 
who exchange hearty 
L^reetings when they 
meet, or who stand in 
groups eagerly discus- 
sing the price of tobacco, or the speed of a favorite horse, 
or the conduct of the royal governor. The hall of the 
"burgesses," or lawmakers, is one of the places they visit 
in order to listen to the speeches. Perhaps Virginia's 
great orator, Patrick Henry, makes their ears tingle and 
their blood beat faster by one of his fiery speeches de- 
nouncing the king for his mistreatment of his loving sub- 
jects. Then our visitors attend the horse races, and the 
boys hurrah when their favorite wins. But the girls will 




OLD CAPITOL AT WILLIAMSBURG. 



PICTURES OF LIFE IN THE COLONIES 147 

not be happy until they have been invited to a ball at the 
governor's palace. On the night of the dance the guests 
assemble early. They find the heavy furniture moved 
out of the hall and the floor waxed until it is shining and 
slippery as glass. A multitude of candles in polished 
silver candlesticks light the house as brilliantly as candles 
can light it. Negro servants hurry to and fro, each one 
feeling as important as the governor himself. Several 
negroes seated in a corner diligently tune their violins. 
The favorite dances are the slow and graceful minuet 
and the more lively reel. Waltzes are unknown. The 
figures of the dance are usually called out in a loud 
voice, and each gentleman, bowing low to his lady partner 
and catching the tips of her fingers, moves through the 
stately measure. 

The Boy Grown to Manhood. — You have seen that the 
owner of a Southern plantation had a great many people 
to care for and to direct. The children of the planter 
were early trained, like George Washington, to assist 
their parents in managing the plantation. This training 
in the control of important business and in governing 
many servants helped to make of the Southern boys, as 
they grew to manhood, successful army officers, law- 
makers, leaders of men, who played important parts in 
laying the foundation of their country's future greatness. 
The girls, too, grew to be women who ruled within their 
homes with gentle yet queenly grace, and who in "times 
of sorrow and danger set splendid examples of courage 
and self-sacrifice. 

In what colony is the home of the boy in the second story? Tell 
about his return from a hunt; about the negroes in his father's to- 



148 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

bacco field. Describe George's home; the garden; the dinner; the 
arrival of visitors. How did people travel in those days ? Tell about 
the welcome to the guests. Describe the parlor. Tell about Betty's 
music ; family prayers ; the guest room. How did George's household 
go to church? Describe the church. Tell about George's school. 
How were the girls taught? Tell about the fondness of the Southern 
colonists for horses; the sports advertised for St. Andrew's Day; the 
visit to the capital; the places visited at Williamsburg. Describe the 
ball. Of what value to Southern boys and girls was their home 
training? 



CHAPTER VIII 



The French War and the Downfall of 
New France 

Colonel George Washington 

A New Enemy Faces the English Colonists. — We have 
seen how the sturdy English settlers along the Atlantic 
coast overcame every difficulty that beset them. The 
freezing cold of New 
England winters, the 
scorching fevers of 
Southern summers, 
perils of starvation, 
attacks by savage In- 
dians — all these dan- 
gers and others be- 
sides often threatened 
the settlements with destruction. But brave, persever- 
ing, industrious, our fathers conquered each enemy that 
opposed them until thirteen EngHsh colonies were firmly 
established, with settlements dotting the Atlantic coast 
from New Hampshire to Georgia. Now, as the English 
settlers began to push westward beyond the Alleghany 
Mountains, they were brought face to face with another 
enemy. The French occupants of the Mississippi Valley 
built forts on the western slopes of the Alleghanies and 

149 




NEW FRANCE AT BEGINNING OF THE 
WAR. 



150 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

disputed the progress of the Enghsh. A great conflict 
now arose to settle the question whether Frenchmen or 
Enghshmen were to be masters of North America. 

The Beginning of the Quarrel. — On a cold, rainy De- 
cember day the soldiers of one of the new French forts 
in the Western wilderness were startled to see, coming 
out of the woods, a tall young man leading a small party 
consisting of four or five white men and several Indians. 
The visitors, weary and mud-stained from a long jour- 
ney of nearly five hundred miles, were kindly received 
into the fort. The young leader at once asked to see the 
French commander, and delivered to him a letter from 
the governor of Virginia. In this letter the governor 
said he was surprised that the French should build a fort 
on land which everybody knew belonged to the English ; 
he demanded that the Frenchmen should at once march 
themselves back to their own territory. He added that 
he hoped his messenger, Major Washington,' would l)e 
kindly received, and that a favorable answer would be 
returned. 

Major George Washington. — Major Washington, the 
governor's messenger, was the same George Washington 
whose boyhood home has been described. George had 
left school at fifteen, with a fair knowledge of arithmetic, 
geometry, and surveying, a good penman, and skilled in 
keeping accounts. He was tall, strong, and active, fond 
of running, leaping, and wrestling, and able to ride the 
wildest horse. It is said that he could throw a stone 
across the Rappahannock River at a place where nobody 
else has ever been able to do it. His half-brother, Law- 
rence, many years older than George, had been, a soldier 



THE FRENCH WAR 



151 




in the West Indies. George greatly loved this half- 
brother, and when visiting his home at Mount Vernon, 
on the Potomac River, listened with delight to the young 
soldier's stories of the wars. Returning to his own home 
after one . of these visits, he 
would make soldiers of his 
playmates and have them 
parade and engage in make- 
believe battles. When only 
sixteen years of age he was 
employed by Lord Fairfax to 
survey that nobleman's lands 
lying between the Blue Ridge 
and the Alleghany Mountains. 
This work was so well done 
that at eighteen he was ap- 
pointed public surveyor, and 
shortly afterward was made major of militia, or home 
troops. He was, twenty-one years old when chosen by 
the governor of Virginia for the difficult and dangerous 
task of visiting the French forts in the West. 

Washington's Return from the French Fort. — The 
French conmiander had no idea of giving up his fort. 
He wrote a polite answer declining Governor Dinwid- 
dle's request, and with this letter Washington set out on 
his long homeward journey. It was now in the middle 
of winter. Forests, rivers', and mountains had to be 
crossed, and there were neither roads nor bridges. The 
horses of the little party seemed about to give out, so 
Washington and one companion pushed forward on foot. 
An Indian shot at Washington, but missed him. The 



WASHINGTON. 



152 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

would-lDe murderer was caui^ht, and Washington's com- 
panion wanted to kill him, but Washington set him free. 
While crossing a river a large piece of floating ice struck 
the pole with which Washington was guiding the raft, 
and he was thrown into the freezing water. He man- 
aged to get hold of the raft and scramble upon it, but 
the floating ice compelled him and his companion to 
spend the night on an island in the river. The next 
morning the river was frozen over, and they walked to 
the bank on the ice. At last they reached the capital of 
Virginia, and delivered to the governor the French com- 
mander's letter, 

Washington Gains a Victory and Suffers a Defeat. 
The War Begins — The successful performance of his 
dangerous task made young Washington famous 
throughout Virginia. When, soon afterward. Governor 
Dinwiddle sent troops to drive the French from a fort 
at the head of the Ohio River, Washington, now known 
as "Colonel" Washington, was one of the officers in com- 
mand. On his way to the fort, while leading a small ad- 
vance party, Washington defeated a French force at 
Great Meadows, in southwestern Pennsylvania. With 
this fight the great French War began. By the death 
of his superior officer Washington became commander 
of the expedition. On July 4, his little army was at- 
tacked at Fort Necessity (not far from Great Meadows) 
by a French force twice as large as his own. His men 
were tired, hungry, and drenched by the incessant rain. 
They fought bravely nearly all day; then their powder 
began to give out. At eight o'clock in the evening the 
fighting stopped. Washington agreed to surrender on 



THE FRENCH WAR 



153 



the condition that his men be allowed to march back to 
their homes, carrying their arms with them. If young 
Colonel Washington could have known what a glorious 
day the 4th of July would afterward become for his 
countrymen he might have felt less gloomy and discour- 
aged as he signed the papers of surrender by the light of 
a flickering candle on the night of that rainy 4th. But 
no wonder he felt discouraged ; not an English flag now 
waved west of the Alleghanies. 

Braddock's Defeat. Washington Saves Part of the 
Army. — England now took a hand in the war. General 
Braddock was sent over 
with an army of train- 
ed soldiers. Washing- 
ton and several compa- 
nies of Virginia troops 
joined Braddock's 
forces. They set out 
across the mountains 
to take Fort Duquesne, 
at the head of the 
Ohio River — the same 
French fort that Wash- 
ington had tried to 
capture the year be- 
fore. General Brad- 
dock was a brave offi- general braddock's route. 

cer who had been in many battles in European wars. 
But all his previous battles were against soldiers who 
fought like his own men, in regular ranks and in the 
open field. He knew nothing of battles in the woods, 




THE FRENCH WAR 1 55 

against an enemy who hid behind trees. His army 
marched to the strains of music, and with flags flying, 
as if they were on parade. They had ahnost reached 
Fort Duquesne when they were attacked by a force of 
French and Indians concealed in thick woods. The Eng- 
hsh troops bravely formed in line and fired in the direc- 
tion of their enemies, whom they could not see. Their 
shots did much damage to the trees, but little to their 
hidden foes, while they themselves, in plain view and 
unprotected, were shot down like sheep. The woods re- 
echoed with the noise of rifle shots and Indian yells. 
Washington and the Virginians sprang behind trees and 
fallen logs ready to fire whenever an Indian or a French- 
man showed himself. Washington had two horses shot 
under him, and his coat was pierced by four bullets. 
At last Braddock gave the order to retreat. Then he 
fell with a bullet in his breast, and his men fled in terror 
and confusion. That any of them escaped was due to 
W^ashington and the Virginia troops. 

Washington Captures a Prize. — Washington was now 
made commander-in-chief of the Virginia forces. While 
on his way to Williamsburg, the capital, he was invited 
to take dinner at the home of a hospitable planter. He 
declared he had not time to stop, but finally consented to 
do so. At dinner he met several other guests, among 
them Mrs. Martha Custis, a young widow with dark 
brown hair and eyes and pleasing manners. Washing- 
ton found the company so agreeable that when his serv- 
ant brought his horse to the door for him to depart he 
ordered the animal to be taken back to the stable. It 
was after breakfast next morning before he could tear 



156 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

himself away. In a short time he was back again, and 
before he left to join his troops Mrs. Martha Custis had 
promised to become Mrs. George Washington. 

The War Spreads. Washington's Third March 
Against Fort Duquesne. — All the English colonies now 
joined in the war. Most of the Indian tribes helped 
the French. The powerful Iroquois, of New York, how- 
ever, had hated the French 
ever since Champlain sided 
with their enemies, and they 
would not agree now to help 
them. There was fighting in 
the North, in the South, and 
on the Western frontiers. 
Once more an army of Eng- 
lish and colonial troops march- 
ed against Fort Duquesne. 
The defenders of the place, 
beins" nearly out of provisions, 

MARTHA WASHINGTON. ^ . . 1 n 1 

set nre to the fort and fled. 
Washington, leading the advance guard of the attacking 
army, planted an English flag on the smoking ruins. 
The name of the fort was changed to Fort Pitt in honor 
of William Pitt, the great English statesman and friend 
of America. In later years Fort Pitt became the city of 
Pittsburg. 

Washington Receives the Thanks of the Virginians. — 
The capture of Fort Duquesne put an end to French at- 
tacks in the South. Washington gave up his ofifice in 
the army, went home, and was married to Mrs. Custis. 
His neighbors at once chose him one of the burgesses to 




THE FRENCH WAR 



157 



make the laws for the Virginia colony. When he took 
his seat in the House of Burgesses at Williamsburg the 
Speaker, or President, arose and in the name of the peo- 




BKITISH ARMY AT QUEEEC 



pie of Virginia thanked Colonel Washington for his 
brave deeds in the war. When he finished, Washington 
stood up to answer. But he was not used to making 
speeches, and he could only blush and stammer without 



158 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



saying a word. At last the Speaker helped him by 
saying, "Sit down, Mr. Washington. Your modesty is 
equal to your bravery, and that is greater than my words 
can describe." 

The Battle of Quebec. — The last great battle of the war 
was at Quebec, in Canada. A French army under Gen- 
eral Montcalm held the city. General Wolfe, with an 
English army, sailed up the St. Lawrence to take the 
place. For weeks the English officer tried in vain to 
find some way by which their men could be led up the 
steep cliffs upon which Quebec is situated. At last 
General Wolfe discovered with his spyglass a narrow 

winding path leading 
from the water's edge to 




the 



heights 



above. In 



the darkness of night an 



English force landed and 
climbed in single file the 
steep ascent. All reached 
the top before they were 
discovered. A fierce bat- 
tle followed. The gallant 
Wolfe was wounded in 
the wrist. He wrapped 
a handkerchief around 
the wound and continued to lead the charge. Another 
ball struck him in the breast. As he was carried from 
the field he heard the cry, "They run, they run !" "Who 
run ?" asked the dying general. "The French !" was the 
reply. "Then God be praised; I die happy!" he ex- 
claimed, and breathed his last. The French general, 



NORTH AMERICA AT CLOSE OF 
FRENCH WAR. 



THE FRENCH WAR 1 59 

Montcalm, was also mortally wounded. When told he 
could live only a few hours he replied, "So much the bet- 
ter; for I shall not live to see the surrender of Quebec." 
The fall of the capital of New France closed the war. 
Peace was made in 1763. 

Some Results of the French War At the beginning of 

the war the French claimed Canada, the Great Lake 
region, and the Mississippi Valley. At the close of the 
war the victorious English took possession of all French 
territory east of the Mississippi River. France hastily 
presented to Spain (1765) her territory west of the Mis- 
sissippi, to keep it from falhng into the hands of her 
hated enemies, the English. Thus at one blow poor 
France lost every foot of the vast region won for her 
by the heroism of Cartier, Champlain, Marquette, La 
Salle, and others of her brave sons. The sturdy English 
colonists, with the help of the mother country, had con- 
quered one more enemy that opposed their progress. 
Thirty-five years later (1800) Spain gave back to France 
all the great Louisiana region. France held it three 
years,, then sold it all to the United States (1803). — ■ 
See pages 120 and 210. 

Name some of the difficulties overcome by the English colonists. 
What great conflict finally faced them ? Tell about the beginning of 
the quarrel between the French and the English settlers ; about George 
Washington's life after leaving school. What answer did the com- 
mander of the French fort give to Major Washington? Describe 
Washington's return. Tell about the fight at Great Meadows; at 
Fort Necessity. Who was General Braddock? Tell about Brad- 
dock's expedition; about Colonel Washington's conduct and his pro- 
motion; about his meeting with Mrs. Martha Custis. What can you 
say of the spread of the war? Tell about the capture of Fort Du- 



l6o THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

quesne ; about Washington's attempt to make a speech before the 
Virginia Assembly; about the last great battle of the war. What 
changes of territory resulted from the French War? 



CHAPTER IX 

War of the Revolution 
General George Washington 

causes of the war 

The Quarrel with England — The EngHsh colonists had 
not long been free from danger from their French 
enemies before they found themselves getting into an- 
other quarrel. This time it was a family trouble — a 
quarrel with their mother country, England. The set- 
tlers loved old England, the land of their fathers, and 
they were proud of their kinship with her. But the 
mother country had not always dealt fairly with her 
children across the sea. As the colonists grew stronger 
and better able to take care of themselves they became 
more and more impatient of the unjust treatment of Eng- 
land. At last, when they could endure it no longer, they 
openly resisted the mother country, cut loose from her 
control, and set up housekeeping for themselves. Let 
us see how the quarrel began. 

Some Complaints of the Colonists. — The kings of Eng- 
land did not seem to care what sort of men they sent 
to America to govern the colonies. Instead of pick- 
ing out wise and good men who would feel a real in- 
terest in the welfare of the Americans, they often ap- 
pointed worthless men, who were anxious to get the 

i6i 



l62 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

governor's salary, but who despised the people they 
ruled, and were constantly quarreling with them. Then 
there were some English laws that were aimed to make 
English merchants and traders richer, but which, at the 
same time, kept the Americans poor. For example, the 
colonists were not allowed to cut down a pine tree over 
two feet in diameter, except to make a mast for an Eng- 
lish ship. All furs of animals taken in our woods must 
be sent to England, and all our goods must be carried 
in English ships. We were not allowed to make our own 
hats, but must buy them in England. 

Taxation without Representation. The Stamp Tax. — 
England had spent a great deal of money to carry on the 
French War, and she owed a large debt in consequence. 
As the war had been partly for the benefit of the colonists 
she decided to make them help pay this debt. So a tax 
called the Stamp Tax was ordered to be collected from 
them. All written bargains, marriage licenses, and 
many other papers had to have stamps on them, and 
these stamps cost all the way from one cent to sixty 
dollars. The Americans did not mind paying a tax 
which they themselves had decided was right. But no 
Americans were allowed to be members of the English 
Parliament, by which the stamp law and all other tax 
laws of England were passed. To the colonists this 
taxing them without their consent — without their being 
represented in Parliament — was the last straw that 
broke the camel's back. From one end of the colonies 
to the other the people repeated the words of an Ameri- 
can speaker, "Taxation without representation is tyr- 
anny." They declared they would never pay the tax. 



WAR OF THE REVOLUTION 1 63 

The Tax on Tea — So much objection was raised 
against the stamp tax that England finally decided not 
to try to make the colonists pay it. But she was bent 
on getting money from them in some way, so she placed 
a tax on the tea that they used. The tax was made so 
small, and the Americans were so fond of tea, that it 
was thought this tax would be readily paid. But the 
English rulers did not understand the feelings of the 
Americans. It was not the amount of tax that they 
objected to, but the whole plan of taxing them without 
their consent. So they became angrier than ever with 
England. They stopped drinking tea. Merchants re- 
fused to handle it. In Boston a crowd of men dressed 
as Indians one night went on board a ship that was 
waiting in the harbor to unload its cargo of tea, broke 
open the tea boxes, and threw the tea into the water. 

England Gets Angry and the Quarrel More Bitter — 
When the news of the "Boston Tea Party," as it was 
called, reached England there was great indignation, and 
it was decided that the obstinate Bostonians should be 
punished. A law was passed forbidding any ship to en- 
ter or leave the harbor of Boston. As there were no 
railroads in those days this law had much the same effect 
as if all the railroad trains to-day entering one of our 
cities should cease running. Business was ruined. But 
all the colonists stood by Boston in her trouble. Mary- 
land sent her barrels of flour, and Georgia sent her bags 
of rice. *T am willing," said George Washington, of 
Virginia, "to raise a thousand men, pay their expenses 
myself, and lead them to the relief of Boston." Repre- 
sentatives from nearly every colony met at Philadelphia 



164 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

to consider what was best to be done. In this meeting, 
known as the "Continental Congress," it was decided to 
resist the unjust laws of England in every way possible. 
Thus the quarrel between England and her colonies be- 
came more bitter. 

After the French War what new quarrel did the English colonists 
soon have ? What did that quarrel lead to ? Mention some things 
the colonists complained of. Why did England wish to tax her col- 
onists? What was the stamp tax? Why did the Americans object to 
this tax? What was the result of their objections? Tell about the 
tea tax, and what the colonists thought of it. How did England 
punish Boston for the "tea party" ? Tell about the sympathy for 
Boston in other colonies. 

THE FREEING OF MASSACHUSETTS 

Paul Revere 's Midnight Ride — In the beginning of 
the quarrel an army of British soldiers had been sent 
to Boston. The commander of these soldiers now heard 
that the Americans were collecting guns and ammuni- 
tion at the village of Concord, twenty miles away. He 
ordered part of his troops to slip out of Boston secretly 
at night, hurry to Concord, and capture or destroy the 
American supplies before the colonists could know any- 
thing about his plan. A young farmer named Paul 
Revere found out what the British troops were prepar- 
ing to do, and on the night that they started he learned 
what road they expected to take. Jumping on his horse, 
he dashed at full speed down the road between Boston 
and Concord, stopping a moment at every village and 
farmhouse to rouse the people from their beds with the 
cry that the British soldiers were coming. When the 
British reached the village of Lexington, halfway be- 



WAR OF THE REVOLUTION 1 65 

tween Boston and Concord, they found a small crowd 
of farmers gathered to oppose them. The fight that 
followed was the first battle of the War of the Revolu- 
tion. 

Lexington and Concord. — The brave farmers could not 
withstand trained forces. Several Americans were 
killed; the rest withdrew from the field. The British 
pushed on to Concord, 
where another fight took 
place. They burned the 
houses in which the Amer- 
ican guns were stored, 
then started back to Bos- 
ton. By this time all the 
country around had been 
aroused, and the Ameri- 
x:ans swarmed like angry 
bees around the line of 
march of the British. 
Concealed behind trees 
and fences along the road, 
they poured a steady 
stream of bullets into the 
ranks of the weary red- 
coats, who now longed to 
be safe in their Boston 
camp once more. If the British general had not sent 
out a thousand fresh troops to help them they would 
never have gotten back to Boston. As it was, the num- 
ber of British killed on that bloody day was more than 
ten times as great as that of the Americans, 




PAUL REVERE'S ride. 



l66 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

The Mecklenburg Declaration — In the town of Char- 
lotte, North Carohna, citizens of Mecklenburg County 
met by appointment for a patriotic purpose. They pro- 
posed to take steps toward resisting the unjust demand 
of the "Stamp Act" and the. tax laws of Great Britain. 
In the midst of their discussion a horseman brought 
startling news. He told of the fight at Lexington and 
of the death of some of the Massachusetts patriots. A 
new thought sprang into the minds of the patriots of 
Mecklenburg County. If they were to be shot down for 
asserting their rights as subjects there was but one step 
left for them. This body of patriots far away at the foot 
of the Alleghanies bravely took this last step. The con- 
vention remained in session throughout most of the night 
of May 19, 1775. Dr. Ephraim Brevard became the 
voice of the convention. His resolution referred to the 
innocent blood shed at Lexington and boldly announced 
"That we do hereby declare ourselves a free and in- 
dependent people." This is the first formal declaration 
of American Independence of which we have any knowl- 
edge. 

' Battle of Bunker Hill — From all parts of Massachu- 
setts and from the adjoining New England colonies 
troops hurried to Boston eager to drive out the British 
army. A hill, afterward known as Bunker Hill, over- 
looking the city, was occupied by part of the American 
forces. The British determined to drive the colonists 
from this position. As the British line approached the 
breastworks on top of the hill the American commander 
gave the order to his men not to fire till they could see 
the whites of their enemies' eyes. Nearer and nearer the 



WAR OF THE REVOLUTION 1 67 

redcoats approached. Suddenly a sheet of flame burst 
from the American earthworks, there was a loud report, 
and when the smoke cleared away the British had fled 
to the bottom of the hill. Again their officers led them 
up the hill; again they fled before the deadly fire. 
Bravely they made a third attempt. This time the am- 
munition of the Americans gave out, and the patriots 
were obliged to retreat, leaving the British at last in pos- 
session of the hill. 

The Whole Country Aroused. General Washington. — 
Although there were no telegraphs and railroads and 
few newspapers in those days, yet the news of the fighting 
between the king's soldiers and the farmers of Mas- 
sachusetts soon reached all the colonies. The Ameri- 
cans believed that if Massachusetts should be beaten a 
British army would be sent to other colonies to enforce 
the hateful tax laws of England; and as they had be- 
fore sent cheering messages and supplies of food to 
Boston, now they prepared to shoulder their guns and 
march to her defense. Another meeting of the Con- 
tinental Congress was held at Philadelphia, and it was 
decided that an American army should be raised and 
that Colonel George Washington, of Virginia, should be 
chosen commander in chief. 

General Washington Drives the British from Boston. — 
George Washington was forty-three years old when he 
became "General" Washington, commander of the 
American forces. A short time after the battle of Bun- 
ker Hill he took charge of the army before Boston. He 
at once set to work drilling the inexperienced soldiers, at 
the same time doing all he could to get muskets, am- 



1 68 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

munition, and cannons. Then his Hnes of earthworks 
were thrown up nearer and nearer the city. At last 
a hill overlooking Boston on the opposite side from Bun- 
ker Hill was occupied one night by Washington's troops. 
When the British awoke and saw the cannons of the 
Americans pointing down at them from the top of the 
hill they at first determined to capture the heights. Then 
remembering how many men they had lost at Bunker 
Hill, they decided they didn't want to climb any more 
hills in the face of American guns. So the only thing 
left to do was to get on board their ships and sail away. 
This they quickly did, while Washington and his army 
marched in triumph into the city. You may be sure 
they were given a hearty welcome by the happy Bos- 
tonians. 

Tell about the plan of the British commander in Boston to destroy 
the American supplies; Paul Revere's ride; the battle of Lexington. 
Where is Bunker Hill? Describe the battle. What was the effect 
of the news of the battles of Lexington and Bunker Hill ? What did 
Congress do? Where did Washington take command of the army? 
Tell how he drove the British from Boston. 

IN THE SOUTHERN AND MIDDLE STATES 

The British Attack Charleston, South Carolina 

While these exciting events were happening in Massa- 
chusetts the South was also getting a taste of war. The 
British governor of Virginia, at the head of a small 
force, seized a quantity of powder, and tried to get the 
slaves to take up arms against their masters. His force 
was beaten, and the governor himself was chased by 
the angry Virginians on board a British ship in Chesa- 
peake Bay. 



WAR OF THE REVOLUTION 



169 



A large British fleet sailed against Charleston, South 
Carolina, the largest city in the South. Fort Moultrie, 
on an island, guarded the entrance to the harbor. The 
fort was built of palmetto logs, and the British balls sank 
into the spongy wood without injuring the walls. The 
Americans did not fire so often, but every shot told on 
the British ships. In the midst of the fight a cannon 
ball broke the staff supporting the American flag that 
floated over the fort. The flag fell to the ground out- 
side the walls in plain view of the enemy. Sergeant 
Jasper, a brave young South Carolinian, leaped down 
outside the fort, seized the flag, tied it to the sponge 
staff of a cannon, stuck 
it up in the sand, and 
climbed back into the fort 
unhurt. When nine of 
their ten ships were bad- 
ly crippled by American 
shots the British con- 
cluded they had enough. 
The fleet sailed away, and 
Charleston was saved. 

The Colonies Declare 
Themselves Independent 
States. — The Americans 
now saw that their re- 
sistance to England only 
made her more deter- 
mined to enforce her hated tax laws. So they decided 
to separate from the mother country. On the 4th of 
July, 1776, the Congress at Philadelphia adopted a 




THE LIBERTY BELL. 



WAR OF THE REVOLUTION 17I 

Declaration of Independence, written by Thomas Jeffer- 
son, of Virginia. The Declaration proclaimed that we 
were no longer English colonies, but independent States. 
As soon as the Declaration was adopted the bell in the 
tower of the house in which Congress met was rung to 
announce the glad tidings to the citizens of Philadelphia. 
From Massachusetts to Georgia the news of the Decla- 
ration was joyfully received, and since then the 4th of 
July has been celebrated as the birthday of the United 
States. 

Discouragements for Washington. — After his great 
success in driving the British out of Boston, things for 
a while went badly with General Washington. He led 
his army to New York to defend that city from an ex- 
pected British attack. But here the British turned the 
tables on him and drove his army from the city. He 
retreated across New Jersey, pursued by a British army. 
It was winter time; his men were poorly supplied with 
shoes, and their feet, cut by the sharp rocks, left bloody 
tracks in the snow. Reaching the Delaware River, he 
crossed to the western side, taking with him every boat 
he could findj so his pursuing enemies could not follow 
him. The Americans were deeply discouraged, and 
many harsh words were spoken against Washington by 
his own people. 

A Victory on Christmas Night — But George Wash- 
ington never lost hope. He had learned that the time 
of discouragement is the time for greatest effort. On 
Christmas night his little army again embarked on the 
Delaware River. Though their hands were so stiff with 
cold that they could hardly hold their guns, and though 



172 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

the floating ice in the river threatened to upset their 
boats, they reached the New Jersey bank in safety. 
Then marching swiftly and silently to the town of Tren- 
ton, they burst upon the British force stationed there, 
surprising them in the midst of the dancing and drink- 
ing of their Christmas festivities. The British quickly 
surrendered. A few days later Washington gained an- 
other great victory at Princeton, New Jersey, and the 
British were forced back toward New York. These 
splendid successes showed how great a general was our 
Washington. 

Philadelphia Taken.— But more discouragements were 
in store for the Americans. A large British army 
sailed around to the head of Chesapeake Bay, defeated 
Washington's army in two battles, and occupied Phila- 
delphia. Things now looked gloomier than ever. There 
was great suffering among Washington's men. They 
spent the winter at Valley Forge, Pennsylvania, in huts 
that poorly protected them from the cold. They had 
few blankets, many had no shirts, and hundreds were 
barefooted. Again unkind things were said of Wash- 
ington, and an attempt was even made to. have him re- 
moved from command. 

Good News from France. — In the midst of these trying 
times there came glad news from across the water. 
France had decided to help us in our fight against her 
old enemy, England. For some time she had been con- 
sidering this step, when the news of a great victory won 
General Gates over the British general, Burgoyne, has- 
tened the decision. Hearing that French troops were 
at Saratoga, New York, by an American army under 



WAR OF THE REVOLUTION 1 73 

coming to our aid, the British left Philadelphia and 
hastened back to New York. Among the French sol- 
diers who fought for American liberty was General 
Lafayette. Washington had no braver officer, our coun- 
try no truer friend, than this young Frenchman. 

Tell about the fighting between the Virginians and the troops of 
the king's governor; the British attack upon Charleston, South Caro- 
lina. Why did the colonists decide to separate from England ? Tell 
about the Declaration of Independence. Where did General Wash- 
ington go after driving the British from Boston? What discourage- 
ments now befell him? What effect did discouragements have upon 
Washington? Tell about his victory at Trenton; the capture of 
Philadelphia by the British ; the winter at Valley Forge. What good 
news came from France ? What hastened the decision of France 
to help us ? What effect did the news have upon the British army 
at Philadelphia? 

CLOSING EVENTS OF THE WAR 

General Greene Sent to Defend the South After the 

splendid victory at Fort Moultrie, in the beginning of the 
war, the American cause had been faring badly in the 
South. One British victory followed another until Geor- 
gia and South Carolina were overrun by the British. 
Finally, by the advice of Washington, General Greene 
was placed in command of our Southern army. Greene 
soon proved himself a great general. Rarely risking a 
battle with his small army, and often retreating, he yet 
caused such heavy loss to his enemies that in little more 
than a year he had the British forces cooped up on the 
coast, and Georgia and the Carolinas freed from British 
control. 

Battle of King's Mountain — General Greene's success 
had been made possible by a great victory won just be- • 



174 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

fore he arrived in the CaroHnas by American back- 
woodsmen from beyond the mountains. Many hardy 
frontiersmen from Virginia and from the Carohnas had 
made homes for themselves on the western slopes of the 
Alleghany Mountains in what is now Kentucky and Ten- 











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THE BATTLE OF KINGS MOUNTAIN. 



nessee. They kept the Western Indians from joining 
the British, and more than once left their homes and 
crossed the mountains to help the hard-pressed American 
forces. When Georgia and the Carolinas were overrun 
by the British the wilderness homes of these brave 
pioneers were still free. A British commander led his 



WAR OF THE REVOLUTION 175 

army to the eastern base of the mountains, and sent 
a message to these "overmountain rebels" that unless 
they desisted from their opposition to British arms he 
would march into their country, hang their leaders, and 
lay waste their country with fire and sword. But alas 
for the proud British leader, this threatening message 
cost him his army and his life. It was quickly carried 
from settlement to settlement, and roused the frontiers- 
men like the blast of a trumpet. Trained in many an 
Indian fight to act always with lightning swiftness, an 
army under John Sevier and other pioneer leaders was 
soon on its way across the mountains to punish the in- 
solent British. Queer-looking soldiers they were. Clad 
in buckskin trousers and homespun shirts, with bucktails 
in their hats, and armed with long knives and unerring 
rifles, a British officer in beautiful uniform would have 
laughed to see them. They came upon the British at 
King's Mountain, near the western Carolina border. 
The British were posted on top of the ridge. Sevier 
divided his force, and they rushed up the hill on three 
sides at once. The British leader was killed, and his 
army surrendered. This great victory raised the hopes 
of the discouraged Southerners, as the battle of Trenton 
had their Northern neighbors. 

Washington's Bold Plan and the Victory that Closed 
the War — After Greene's success in the Carolinas, Gen- 
eral Cornwallis, his British opponent, marched his army 
into Virginia. After doing as much damage as he 
could to the Virginians, Cornwallis took his position at 
Yorktown, near Chesapeake Bay. Washington, who 
had been watching the British in New York, now sent 



176 THF: BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

word to our friends, the French, to sail their fleet into 
Chesapeake Bay, while he slipped away southward before 
the British army in New York could stop him. Then 
his plan was to join his French allies in an attack upon 
Cornwallis at Yorktown. This fine plan succeeded per- 
fectly. Poor Cornwallis was entrapped with the French 
ships on one side aqd an army of Americans and French- 
men on the other. His men resisted bravely, but were 
compelled to surrender, October 19, 1781. 

England Consents to Our Independence Washing- 
ton's victory at Yorktown closed the war, England saw 
it was no use to try any longer to subdue her rebellious 
colonies. Besides, there were many Englishmen who 
believed from the first that the Americans were right 
in their resistance. A treaty of peace was signed 
(1783) in which England acknowledged the thirteen 
colonies to be "free and independent States." The Mis- 
sissippi River was agreed upon as our boundary on the* 
west, the Great Lakes on the north, and Florida on the 
south. 

Our First Independent Government. — At the beginning 
of the Revolution the governors of most of the colonies 
were appointed by the king of England. When the col- 
onies declared their independence they at once estab- 
lished State governments, with governor, legislature, 
judges, and other officers chosen by the people, as we 
have them now. But some kind of government over the 
colonies as a whole was also necessary. So during the 
Revolution we adopted a constitution, or form of gov- 
ernment, for the United States. This first constitution 
was called the "Articles of Confederation." Under it 



WAR OF THE REVOLUTION 1 77 

we had no President, no United States judges. There 
was a Congress composed of only one house, which met 
at Philadelphia, then the capital. The Congress could 
declare war and make treaties with foreign nations, but 
could not levy taxes, and had scarcely any power over 
the people or the States. We lived under this constitu- 
tion for seven years after the close of the Revolution 
before we changed it. 

What can you say of the success of the British in the Southern 
colonies during the first part of the war? Tell what General Greene 
accomplished. How did the settlers west of the Alleghanies help the 
American cause? What message was sent to them by a British 
general? What was the result? Describe the battle of King's Moun- 
tain. Where did the British general, Cornwallis, go after leaving 
the Carolinas? Tell how Washington outgeneraled Cornwallis. 
Where did Cornwallis's surrender take place? What was the effect 
of the victory at Yorktown? What change in the government of the 
colonies took place when independence was declared ? Tell about 
the "Articles of Confederation." 



CHAPTER X 



Benjamin Franklin 

How France Came to Help Us in the Revolution 

While General Washington in this country was fight- 
ing for the independence of the United States another 
American, with the same purpose in view, was working 

and talking for us at the capital 
of France. And had not his 
peaceful work beyond the ocean 
been so well done it is probable 
that all the bravery of Wash- 
ington and his soldiers woulcl 
not have gained our independ- 
ence. Benjamin Franklin was 
the name of this fellow-worker 
with Washington. At the out- 
break of the Revolution Frank- 
lin was the most famous man 
in the colonies. Congress sent 
him to Paris to try to get the French to help us. By his 
good sense, pleasing manners, great learning, and ready 
wit he became one of the best-known and best-liked men 
at the French capital. He not only persuaded the French 
to send soldiers and ships to our aid, but he got them to 
lend us great sums of money with which to buy supplies 
for our needy troops. When the war was over, Frank- 

178 




^i 






/xt^ V ;^^i 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN. 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 1 79 

lin, then in feeble health, started to depart for America. 
The king- ordered his own servants to take his American 
friend to the ship which was to carry him home. The 
king also presented him with his picture surrounded with 
diamonds. 

Boyhood of Franklin — This famous American and 
friend of king's was once a poor boy. He was born in 
Boston, and was the youngest but two in a family of 
ten boys and seven girls. His father earned his living 
by making soap and candles. It was little Benjamin's 
work to help boil the soap and to put the wicks in the 
candle molds, and to trim them. As soon as his older 
brothers were big enough to work they were hired out 
by their father. Ben learned to read so easily, how- 
ever, that his father thought he would send him to school 
and make a minister of him. At school the boy was 
soon at the head of all his classes. But when his father 
found out how much it was going to cost to send his 
son to school and college, he took him from school and 
put him to work in his shop. Benjamin did not like to 
make soap and candles. He sometimes thought of run- 
ning away to sea, as an older brother had done. 

Franklin Becomes a Printer — Noticing Benjamin's 
fondness for books, his father then determined to make 
him a printer. So Benjamin at twelve years of age was 
apprenticed to his older brother James, who had a print- 
ing office in Boston. He liked his new work because it 
enabled him to read books he could not afiford to buy. 
Often he sat up nearly all night reading a borrowed book 
which he had promised to return in the morning. Hav- 
ing heard some friends of his brother discussing the 



l8o THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

pieces they had written for his brother's newspaper, 
Benjamin determined to try his hand at writing. So, 
changing his handwriting as much as possible, he wrote 
a piece and shpped it under the office door one night. 
Next morning his brother found it, and liked it so well 
that he printed it, never dreaming it was written by a 
boy. Benjamin was so well pleased with his success 
that he sent in several other articles in the same way. 
When his brother found out who had written the pieces 
he was very angry. This brother was a high-tem- 
pered man, and sometimes he whipped Ben severely. 
When Benjamin was seventeen years old he determined 
to run away. 

Franklin in Philadelphia. — By selling some of his 
books young Franklin got a little money. Then he took 
passage on a sailing vessel to New York. There was 
only one printing office in New York, and finding no 
work for him there, he decided to go on to Philadelphia. 
He walked fifty miles across New Jersey to a town on 
the Delaware River. Then he got on board a boat to 
sail down to Philadelphia. When he reached the city 
he found he had just one dollar left. He was hungry, 
and the first thing he did was to buy three-pence worth 
of bread. The baker handed him three large rolls. As 
he had no valise, and as his pockets were stuffed full of 
clothes, he put one roll under each arm, and walked up 
the street eating the third. At the door of one of the 
houses a young woman stood and smiled at the queer- 
looking boy with the rolls under his arms. This same 
young woman afterward became Franklin's wife. 

Franklin Visits England — The next dav Franklin 



BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 



I8l 




FRANKLIN S PRINTING 
PRESS. 



found work. His skill as a printer soon attracted notice. 
The governor of Pennsylvania suggested to him that he 
go to London to buy a printing 
press and type, and offered to fur- 
nish the money. The governor, 
however, was a man who did 
not keep his promises. Franklin 
sailed to England, but the prom- 
ised letter from the governor 
never came. Reaching London, 
he had to go to work to earn his 
bread. The London printers 
were great beer-drinkers. As 
Franklin would drink nothing 
but w^ater they laughed at him 
and called him "the water Ameri- 
can." They told him that water would make him weak, 
but they found him the best swimmer and the strongest 
man of them all. 

Franklin Starts a Printing Office of His Own Two 

years in England were enough for Franklin. He re- 
turned to Philadelphia, and soon opened a printing 
office of his own. His newspaper, TJic Pennsylvania 
Gazette, was said to be the best paper in the comitry. 
About this time he printed the first copy of Poor Ricli- 
ard's Ahnanae, which he continued to publish every year 
for twent3^-five years. This Almanac was sold for five 
pence, and it found its way into almost every house 
in the colonies. Many of its wise and witty sayings 
have become proverbs, and have taught our people 
useful lessons. Some of these sayings are: "Honesty 



l82 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 




A MODERN PRINTING TRESS. 



is the best policy" ; "Keep your eyes open before 
marriag-e and half-shut afterward" ; " God helps them 

that help them- 
selves" ; "Early 
to bed and early 
to rise makes a 
man healthy, 
wealthy, and 
wise." 

Some Public 
Improvements 
Made by Frank- 
lin. — Franklin 
now began to grow rich. But he did not forget the 
welfare of others. He induced the people of Phila- 
delphia to pave and sweep their muddy streets. He 
improved the smoky street lamps. He started the first 
public library in America. He established the first 
fire company in Philadelphia, as well as the first in- 
surance company. He invented the open "Franklin 
stove" to take the place of the immense fireplaces then 
common. By means of a kite which he flew in a thun- 
derstorm he drew a spark of electricity from the clouds, 
thus proving that lightning and electricity are the same. 
His essays on electricity were translated into other lan- 
guages, and Franklin became the best-know^n American 
of his time. 

Franklin's Services to His Country For more than 

forty years Franklin served his country in difi^erent public 
offices. He w'as postmaster of Philadelphia, postmaster- 
general of the colonies, member of the Pennsylvania 



■BENJAMIN FRANKLIN 1 83 

Legislature. In 1765 he was colonial agent in England, 
where he did all he could to prevent the passage of the 
Stamp Act. He was a member of the Continental Con- 
gress, and one of the committee to draw up the Declara- 
tion of Independence. How he secured the aid of France 
in the Revolution has already been told. On his re- 
turn home from France he was several times chosen gov- 
ernor of Pennsylvania. At the close of the Revolution 
he helped make the treaty with England which acknowl- 
edged our independence and fixed our western boundary 
at the Mississippi River. His last public service was as 
member of the convention which formed the Constitu- 
tion of the United States. He died at the age of eighty- 
four, in the second year of President Washington's ad- 
ministration. He was buried in an old churchyard in 
Philadelphia, and it is said more than 20,000 persons at- 
tended his funeral. 

Tell how Benjamin Franklin helped the American cause during the 
Revolution ; about the French king's friendship for Franklin ; the 
boyhood of Franklin ; his life in his brother's printing office ; his jour- 
ney to Philadelphia; his first appearance in Philadelphia; his visit to 
England; his newspaper; his almanac; what he did for the welfare 
of the people ; his study of electricity ; his public offices ; his death. 
Name some traits of Franklin's character that boys and girls of our 
time should copy. 



CHAPTER XI 

From the Alleghanies to the Mississippi 
Daniel Boone, Hunter and Pioneer 

Work of the Pioneers. — When the Revolutionary War 
began the Alleghany Mountains marked the western bor- 
der of the land occupied by the colonists. Of the great 
wilderness beyond the mountains, stretching westward 
to the Mississippi River, the northwestern part, from the 
Ohio River to the Great Lakes, was claimed by England 
as part of Canada ; in the southwestern part the boundary 
separating us from Louisiana and Florida was unsettled ; 
while the entire region was in the possession of Indian 
tribes ready to dispute their own claims against the 
world. About this time, however, settlers from Vir- 
ginia and the Carolinas began to pour through the moun- 
tain passes and to dot the fertile Western valleys with 
their cabin homes. While the armies of Washington 
and Greene and other American leaders were fighting 
our country's battles east of the mountains these pioneers 
of the West were doing their part right nobly in the 
struggle. They kept the Indians from crossing the 
mountains to join the British armies in the Carolinas; 
they drove the savages farther westward, opening up 
the land to white settlement; they captured the few 
British forts in the West; and sometimes, leaving their 
homes, they crossed the mountains and fought the British 

184 



FROM THE ALLEGHANIES TO THE MISSISSIPPI 185 



armies in the East. Among the pioneers who won for 
us this Western region, thus doubhng our country's size, 
three of the foremost were Daniel Boone, George Rogers 
Clark, and John Sevier. 

Boyhood of Daniel Boone. — Daniel Boone was two 
years younger than George Washington. He was born 
in Pennsylvania, but when a boy moved with his father's 
family to North Carolina. From the time that he could 
first handle a gun he was fond of hunting. Tall, slender, 
active, and strong, the longest mountain tramp never 
tired his iron mus- 
cles. In the rug- 
ged country of his 
boyhood home 
schools were .few, 
so Daniel spent 
much of his time 
in the woods with 

his gun. Bear, 

1 ,1 boone's favorite game. 

deer, panther, 

squirrel, and turkey were the game he usually hunted. 
On his long hunting expeditions he sometimes crossed 
over to the western slope of the Alleghanies. Not 
long ago there was said to be still standing on the 
bank of the creek in what is now eastern Tennessee an 
old beech tree with some carving on the bark probably 
made by Boone himself. The letters — showing Boone 
to have been a better hunter than speller — read as fol- 
lows: "D. Boone cilled [killed] a bar on [this] tree 
in the year 1760." 




Boone Visits Kentucky. 



-Having heard of some line 



1 86 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

hunting grounds far beyond the mountains, northwest of 
his home, Boone with five companions set out to visit 
the place. They traveled on foot. For five weeks they 
struggled on, climbing mountains and fording rivers. 
At last they came to the beautiful country now known as 
the ''blue grass region" of Kentucky. Never before had 
they seen game in such abundance. There were great 
herds of bufTalo and- deer; bears, wolves, and panthers 
and other animals were plentiful. After a short stay 
Boone's companions returned home, but he himself re- 
mained to spend the winter in the hunting grounds. For 
three long months he was alone in the wilderness, with- 
out the companionship of even a dog or a horse, and often 
afraid to make a fire lest he should attract the notice of 
the Indians. It was two years after Boone started on 
this great hunting trip before he returned to his North 
Carolina home. His accounts of what he had seen made 
the Kentucky country famous all along the Virginia 
and Carolina border. 

The Settlement of Kentucky. — Soon afterward Boone 
led a party of settlers into the Kentucky country. The 

road, or trail, they 
cut was the first 

II path through the 
] wilderness, and 
w a s afterward 
known as "Boone's 
Trail." On the 

PLAN OF BOONE-S FORT. ^^^^^^ ^^ ^^^^ j.^^_ 

tucky River they built a fort. The fort was made of 
logs, and inclosed a space twice as long as broad, as 




FROM THE ALLEGHANIES TO THE MISSISSIPPI 187 

shown in the picture. At each corner was a two-story 
log house with loop-holes to shoot from. For the wall 
of the fort, stout log cabins were arranged in straight 
lines at short intervals, the cabins being joined together 
by a high fence built of log posts sunk into the ground 
and firmly fastened together. The fort was entered 
through heavy wooden gates, that were closed with 
strong bars. In times of danger the cattle and horses 
were driven into the large open space within the fort. 

Boone Taken Captive. — Boone's fort was several times 
attacked by the Indians. Boone himself was once taken 
captive and w^as adopted as a son by a powerful chief. 
He was painted, decked with feathers, and dressed as 
an Indian, but all the while he was closely watched by 
his captors. He finally escaped and reached Boones- 
borough, as his fort was called, in time to prepare it for 
an attack which he had heard the savages planning. The 
Indians were beaten off, and Boonesborough was 
saved. 

Home Life in the West — Nowadays when a family 
moves from one part of the country to another they pack 
their furniture and bedding in wagons or on a freight car 
to be carried to their new home. But with Boone and the 
first settlers west of the Alleghany Mountains the case 
was far different. To ride horseback or to walk were 
the only modes of travel possible over the rough moun- 
tain paths. A few cooking utensils, some salt and corn, 
a few bottles of medicine, and perhaps a little coffee were 
all they could carry with them. So when their log cabins 
in the West had been built they had to begin housekeep- 
ing with no furniture. The bed was frequently a heap of 



l88 THE BEGIXXERS HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

soft leaves piled in the corner with bearskins for blankets ; 
a rough table built against the wall and a few three- 
legged stools completed the furniture of the first settlers' 
cabins. For breakfast and supper they had journey cake, 
or ''johnnycake," made of corn meal and baked in the 
hot ashes. Along with the johnnycake the pioneer boys 
and girls had sometimes a slice of venison or bear's meat, 
or honey from a bee tree, or syrup from a maple tree. 
The men and boys wore suits of warm bearskin. Their 
caps, too, were made of bearskin, ornamented sometimes 
with the tail of a fox for a plume. There were log 
schoolhouses and log meetinghouses, or churches. In 
most of the schools the only books were a Testament, 
a primer, a spelling book, and an arithmetic. Hides of 
animals took the place of money. Two coon skins 
were equal in value to one fox skin or wild-cat skin : two 
fox skins, to one beaver skin, buckskin, or bearskin. 

The First Western State — After the close of the Revo- 
lutionary War there was a rush of settlers into the "over- 
mountain" country. "Boone's Trail" became a fairly 
good wagon road, and boat loads of immigrants from the 
East came down the Ohio River. At last Virginia con- 
sented that her "county of Kentucky" should become a 
separate state. In 1792 the State of Kentucky took her 
place in the new Union — the first State formed west of 
the AUeghanies, and the fifteenth State in order, \'er- 
mont, the fourteenth State, having been formed from 
Xew York and Xew Hampshire the year before. 

Boone Moves Farther West. — As Kentucky became 
more thickly settled Boone longed for the lonely life of 
a hunter that he had once enjoyed. So he pushed west- 



FROAI THE ALLEGHANIES TO THE MISSISSIPPI 189 

ward, and finally crossed the Alississippi River. His old 
age was spent in the forests of southern Alissouri. 

At the beginning of the Revolution who claimed the land between 
the Alleghany Alountains and the IMississippi River? What did set- 
tlers from Virginia and the Carolinas do to win this region ? Name 
three of the foremost of these Western pioneers. Tell about the 
boyhood of Daniel Boone ; about Boone's first visit to Kentucky. 
What was "Boone's Trail" ? Describe Boone's fort. Tell about 
Boone's capture by the Indians and his escape. How did the moving 
of a family of Kentucky settlers differ from the moving of a family 
to-day? Tell about the settlers' homes; their food; their clothing; 
schools and churches ; money. Tell about the progress of the Ken- 
tuckv countrv after the Revolution ; the last davs of Daniel Boone. 



GENERAL GEORGE ROGERS CLARK 

A Ball Interrupted — One warm July ni^^ht in 1778, 
while General Washington was fighting his country's 
battles in the East, a ball was going on in the British 
fort at Kaskaskia, in what is now the State of Illinois. 
Kaskaskia was an old French settlement, and French 
youths and maidens from the village mingled gayly with 
the British soldiers in the fort. Through the grim open- 
ings in the wall bright lights now shone out into the 
darkness, and the sound of violin music and tripping 
feet was wafted upon the summer air. The sentinels, 
leaving the gates unguarded, were looking upon the gay 
scene or taking part in the dance. Suddenly a stranger 
entered an open gate, and made his way unnoticed by 
the merry throng to the great hall where the dancing 
was going on. Here he stopped and with folded arms 
leaned against a doorpost, gazing silently at the dancers 
whirling past. An Indian lying on the floor looked in- 



190 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



tently in the stranger's face, then quickly sprang to his 
feet with an unearthly war whoop that rang out ahove 
the sounds of merriment. Instantly the dancing ceased. 
Women screamed, and men ran toward the door. The 
strange visitor alone showed no excitement. *'Go on 
with your dance," he shouted, "but remember that you 
are now dancing under Virginia, and not under Eng- 
land." At the same time his followers, stationed out- 
side, rushed into the fort and seized the officers. 

Clark and His Bold Plan. — George Rogers Clark was 
the name of the American officer who had interrupted 
the dancing in the British fort. He was a young Vir- 
ginian who with Boone and other pioneers had made 
his home in the "county of Kentucky." England at that 

time claimed all the 
land between the 
Ohio River and the 
Great Lakes as part 
of Canada, and to 
hold it she had 
strong forts at De- 
troit (Michigan), 
Kaskaskia (Illinois), 
and Vincennes (In- 
diana). Virginia 
claimed the same re- 
gion because it had been given her by one of her early 
charters. Clark formed the bold plan of raising a small 
force to surprise and seize the British forts in the North- 
west, thereby taking the whole region from the British. 
Governor Patrick Henry, of Virginia, favored the plan, 




MAP OF CLARK S ROUTE. 



FROM THE ALLEGHANIES TO THE MISSISSIPPI 19I 

and furnished Clark with supphes and permitted him to 
enHst several companies of backwoodsmen. Clark's 
little army sailed down the Ohio nearly to its mouth (see 
map), then struck across the prairie to Kaskaskia. How 
they surprised and took the place has been told. 

The March to Vincennes. — When the people of Vin- 
cennes heard of Clark's victory at Kaskaskia they at 
once surrendered to his messenger who brought the 
news. During the winter, however, a British force from 
Canada occupied tlie place. Their intention was to go 
on and drive Clark back south of the Ohio. But Clark 
determined to strike first. It was two hundred and 
forty miles from Kaskaskia to Vincennes. Much of the 
country was overflowed from heavy rains, and was waist- 
deep in water. Nevertheless Clark and a little band of 
heroes started out to surprise their enemies. For days 
they marched through water sometimes up to their shoul- 
ders. They were in constant danger from the Indians. 
They could get no food on the way, and were so weak 
from hunger that they could scarcely walk. Any other 
leader would have turned back. But Clark cheered on 
his men, plunging in the water ahead of themi and sharing 
every hardship. At last Vincennes was reached, and 
after a short struggle the fort was captured. 

What We Owe to Clark — The capture of these British 
forts by Clark and his followers gave Virginia possession 
of the Northwest Territory. But for the heroism of 
George Rogers Clark the Ohio River instead of the 
Great Lakes might be to-day the southern boundary of 
British Canada. In later years Virginia gave up to 
the United States her claim to this great Northwest 




CLARK AND HIS MEN IX THE ICY WATER. 



FROM THE ALLEGHANIES TO THE MISSISSIPPI 193 

Territory. Out of it five splendid States have been 
carved — Ohio, Indiana, llHnois, Michigan, and Wis- 
consin. 

Tell about the ball in the British fort at Kaskaskia, and how the 
dancing was interrupted. Where is Kaskaskia? When did this ball 
take place ? Tell all you can about the American officer who inter- 
rupted the ball. By whom was the land between the Ohio River and 
the Great Lakes claimed? Tell about Clark's plan and his journey to 
Kaskaskia ; the effect that the news of Clark's success had upon the 
people of Vincennes; upon the British in Canada. Tell about Clark's 
march to Vincennes. What do we owe to George Rogers Clark? 
What changes in this territory afterward took place ? 

JOHN SEVIER, THE STATE BUILDER 

A Ride Across the Mountains, and What Came of It 

In the spring of 1772, three years before the battle of 
Lexington and one year before Daniel Boone formed his 
first settlement in Kentucky, three horsemen crossed the 
mountains from southwestern Virginia into what is now 
Tennessee. Their purpose was to visit a new settle- 
ment on the Watauga River, on the western slope of the 
Alleghanies. One of the visitors was so pleased with 
what he saw that he decided to leave his comfortable 
Virginia home and join the frontiersmen in their little 
group of cabins on the Watauga. This man, then 
twenty-six years old, was John Sevier, the founder of 
the State of Tennessee. 

The First Government West of the Mountains One 

day not long after his arrival at the Watauga settlement 
Sevier saw a big, fierce-looking gambler take a horse 
away from a peaceable stranger, claiming he had won 
the animal in a bet. "Is there no law here to prevent 



194 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

such deeds?" asked Sevier. "No," the frontiersmen re- 
plied, "but don't be uneasy; that rascal won't stay here 
long!" This did not satisfy Sevier. He got the peo- 
ple to meet and choose officers who should make laws, 
try offenders, and punish the guilty. Sevier himself was 
chosen one of the five judges, the youngest of the five. 
This government lasted several years, and was the first 
government formed west of the Alleghanies. 

Nancy Ward Saves the Settlements During the Rev- 
olution, British agents among the Indians were con- 
stantly trying to stir up the Western tribes to rise against 
the whites and join the British armies near the coast. 
Early in the war these agents sent fifty horse loads of 
ammunition to the Cherokees of southeastern Tennessee. 
At once the Indians began an attack upon the frontier 
settlements. But among the Cherokees was a woman, 
Nancy Ward by name, who was honored and feared by 
the red men because they believed she had the gift of 
prophecy. Fortunately, she was a firm friend of the 
whites ; often she visited the cabins and played with the 
little children. She overheard the warriors of her peo- 
ple planning an attack. Slipping silently through the 
forest, she gave the alarm at a settler's cabin, then hur- 
ried back to her wigwam. Most of the white families 
hastened to the nearest forts and were saved. Many 
others times Nancy Ward saved the lives of the settlers. 
All honor to this Indian squaw, "the Pocahontas of Ten- 
nessee!" 

Katherine Sherrill's Foot Race. — Alarm at Nancy 
Ward's warning soon caused the Watauga fort to be 
crowded with women and children. One morning, while 



FROM THE ALLEGHANIES TO THE MISSISSIPPI 195 

some of the women were outside the fort milking the 
cows, a band of Indians burst upon them. The women 
ran for their Hves, and ah except one got safely inside 
the gate. Katherine Sherrill was a tall, brown-eyed girl, 
straight as an arrow, and graceful as a deer. The In- 
dians were between her and the gate of the fort. John 
Sevier wished to rush out to her rescue, but was held 
back by his friends, who thought he would certainly be 
killed. But Katherine seeing she was cut off from the' 
gate, ran toward the part of the wall nearest her. With 
all her might she jumped, grasped the top of the wall, 
and swung herself up. John Sevier was there to catch 
her in his arms and help her down safe inside the fort. 
Not many years after her Indian foot race the swift- 
footed Katherine became the wife of John Sevier. 
Sevier led many expeditions against the Indians. He 
surprised them in their mountain homes and defeated 
them in every fight. 

Tennessee Becomes a State. — John Sevier's home was 
on the Nolichucky River. "Chucky Jack" was the name 
he went by among the frontiersmen. He was feared by 
the Indians and loved by the white settlers. When he 
rode through a settlement men, women, and children 
ran to the road to see him and to shake his hand. Every 
year the number of settlements increased, and the In- 
dians were driven farther westward. Finally North 
Carolina agreed that her territory west of the moun- 
tains should become a separate State. So Tennessee 
came into the Union (1796), the second State formed 
west of the Alleghenies. John Sevier, the first governor, 
was six times chosen to the office. 



196 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

Alabama and Mississippi — Following the example of 
Virginia and North Carolina, Georgia gave up to the 
United States her western lands. Out of this territory 
the States of Mississippi (1817) and Alabama (1819) 
were afterward formed. 

Tell about John Sevier's first trip across the mountains ; about the 
establishment of the first government west of the Alleghanies ; about 
the efforts of the British to stir up the Indians against the settlers 
of the West; about Nancy Ward,. and how she saved the settlements; 
about Katherine Sherrill's foot race ; John Sevier's love for Katherine. 
What was Sevier's nickname? How did the Indians regard him? 
the whites? Tell about the formation of the State of Tennessee. 
What States were formed from the territory west of Georgia? 



CHAPTER XII 

The New Government Started 
President George Washington 

A New Constitution Adopted — The "Articles of Con- 
federation," the form of government of the United 
States which was adopted by the different States during 
the Revokition, proved rmsuccessful. Our Congress 
could make laws, but there was no way to compel peo- 
ple to obey them. Congress could not tax the people, 
so there was no money to carry on the government im- 
less the different States chose to grant money for this 
purpose. Seven years' trial of the Articles proved to 
the people that a change must be made. So representa- 
tives from the different States met in Philadelphia to 
try to improve the Articles. George Washington was 
made president of the meeting, Benjamin Franklin, now 
an old man, was one of the members. After long dis- 
cussion the present Constitution of the United States was 
agreed upon to take the place of the Articles of Con- 
federation. The proposed Constitution was then sent 
out to the different States, and was approved by each 
of them. 

How the New Government Differed from the Old One. 

— The new Constitution provided for a Congress to make 

laws, but this Congress was composed of two bodies, or 

"houses," instead of one. One house, called the 

197 



198 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

"Senate," is composed of two senators from each State; 
the other, called the "House of Representatives," is com- 
posed of members chosen according to the population, 
the most populous States having the largest number of 
representatives. The Constitution also established a new 
office, that of "President of the United States." It is the 
duty of the President to see that the laws of the United 




WASHINGTON ON HIS WAY TO BE INAUGURATED TRESIDENT. 



States are enforced, and, that he may better do this, he 
is made commander of the army and navy. By the new 
Constitution also a Supreme Court of the United States 
and other courts were established to try violations of 
the laws of Congress and certain other cases that do 
not properly come before the courts of the States. 
Neither Congress nor the President can interfere with 



THE NEW GOVERNMENT STARTED 199 

State affairs, but Congress is given power to lay taxes 
and to make laws on certain subjects which concern 
the people of all the States. 

The New Government Started. — The Constitution was 
accepted by the required number of States in the year 
1789, and the people at once began to select the officers of 
the new government. For the first President of the 
United States only one name was thought of — that of 
General George Washington. Every vote was cast for 
him. As he traveled on horseback from his Virginia 
home to New York City, which was then the capital of 
the United States, children threw flowers before him 
and the people everywhere along the roadside welcomed 
him with joyful shouts. Standing on the balcony of 
Federal Hall, in New York, while a great crowd filled 
the street in front of him, Washington solemnly prom- 
ised that he would faithfully perform his duties as Presi- 
dent, and would preserve, protect, and defend the Con- 
stitution of the United States. Then a mighty shout^, 
"Long live George Washington, President of the United"' 
States !" rose from the multitude. 

President Washington — Washington was fifty-seven 
years old when he became President. Many difficult 
questions had to be settled that required a strong hand 
and a clear head. The people of western Pennsylvania 
refused to pay the tax on whisky levied by Congress. 
The President promptly ordered out troops and forced 
them to submit. The Indians in the Northwest made 
war upon the white settlers. Washington sent three 
armies against them and completely subdued them, driv- 
ing them still farther westward. The French tried very 



200 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

hard to get us to help them in their war against England, 
but Washington steadfastly refused, believing our coun- 
try too young and feeble to enter upon a foreign war. 
In short, Washington, as President, met every difficulty 
wisely and well, just as he had met and overcome diffi- 
culties before when a surveyor in the wilderness of the 
Virginia frontier, when a soldier in the French War, and 
when a general in the Revolution. 




CopyriKht Detroit Pli.ito Co. 

MOUNT VERNON, THE HOME OF WASHINGTON. 

Death of Washington. — When his four years' term of 
office was out the people again chose Washington Presi- 
dent, and they wanted to make him President a third 
time, but he would not permit it. He retired to his home, 
Mount Vernon, in Virginia, on the bank of the Potomac, 
and there busied himself managing his large estate. 
Two years later (1799) he died. The whole country 
went into mourning. Washington has been called the 



THE NEW GOVERNMENT STARTED 



20 1 



"father of his country," and he is remembered as the 
•great American who was "first in war, first in peace, 
and first in the hearts of his fellow-citizens." 

The Capital Changed. — Soon after Washington became 
President the capital was moved from New York to 
Philadelphia. Ten years later ( 1800) it was removed to 
a spot selected by Washington on the north bank of the 




THE CAPITUL AT WASHINGTON. 



Potomac. Here a city was laid out in the woods, and 
was named Washington, in honor of the father of his 
country. The district in which the new city was to be 
built was given to the United States by the States of 
Maryland and Virginia, and in honor of the discoverer 
of America was called the District of Columbia. Vir- 
ginia's part of the gift, lying south of the Potomac, 



202 THE BEGINNERS HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



was not needed, and was afterward returned to her. 
Washington is now one of the most beautiful cities in the 
world. 

Why so Little Cotton was Raised in Washington's 
Time — At the time that Washington became President 
shiploads of tobacco and rice from the Southern States 
crossed the ocean every year, but all the cotton sent over 
in a year amounted to not more than a dozen bags — 
hardly one bale. If Washington had traveled from Vir- 
ginia to Georgia he would have seen occasional small 
patches of cotton, but not a single large field of the plant. 
It did not pay to plant cotton, and there was very little 
of it raised anywhere in the world. The reason of this 
was that in those days the lint had to be picked from the 
seed by hand, and this was slow work. It took one per- 
son all day to pick out one or two pounds of cotton from 
the seed. Cotton cloth, which now costs ten cents a 
^-^ ^-^^ ^ yard, then cost one dollar 

and a half a yard. 

The Cotton Gin In- 
vented — The people of 
Georgia were so grateful 
to General Greene for 
driving the British from 
the Southern States that 
they gave him a farm/ 
Eli Whitney, a youngfi 
school teacher from Mas-' 
sachusetts, while staying, 
for a while at the home of the Greenes in Georeia / 
mended an cmbroiderv frame for Mrs. Greene. Mrs. 



rf^V 



f% 



^i 



i 




THE FIRST COTTON GIN. 



THE NEW GOVERNMENT STARTED 203 

Greene was delighted with his skill, and when some 
guests at her home some time afterward were speaking 
of the difficulty of separating cotton seed from the lint, 
and wishing that some quicker way of doing this work 
could be found, she exclaimed, " Why, gentlemen, just 
ask my young friend, Mr. Whitney ; he can do anything !" 
Whitney set his brains to thinking, got some cotton in 
the seed to work upon, and soon had invented a machine 
which we call the "cotton gin" (cotton engine). 

What the Cotton Gin did for the South With the cot- 
ton gin one man can clean as much cotton as one hun- 
dred men could clean with their hands. Cotton at once 
became the best-paying crop in the South. Southern 
planters hastened to buy as many slaves as possible to 
work in the cotton fields. Cotton cloth came into gen- 
eral use, and mills were built in the Northern States to 
make the Southern cotton into cloth. Ships had to be 
built to carry American cotton to Europe. Instead of a 
few bags of cotton the Southern States now raise every 
year over 10,000,000 bales. In many ways the inven- 
tion of the cotton gin influenced the life of our people 
and the history of our country. 

Why were the articles of Confederation unsuccessful? How long 
were they in force ? Tell about the change to our present Constitu- 
tion. Mention some of the ways in which the new government dif- 
fered from the old. When did the new Constitution go into effect? 
Tell about the election of the first President ; his ride to the capital ; 
his inauguration. How old was Washington when he became Presi- 
dent? Mention three difficult subjects he had to deal with. How 
did he meet the difficulties of the President's office? What shows how 
the people liked his course as President? Where did he die? How 
was the news of his death received? What change of capital was 
made while Washington was President? Tell about the selection of 



204 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

a spot for our present capital; its name; the district in which it is 
situated. In Washington's time what were the great crops of the 
South? What can you say of the amount of cotton raised then? Why 
was this? Tell ahout the invention of the cotton gin. What were 
some of the effects of this invention? 



CHAPTER XIII 



Thomas Jefferson 



About Jefferson's Life 

Thomas Jefferson Starts on a Journey You remember 

that near the close of the French War Colonel George 
Washington went with his bride to Williamsburg to 
take his seat as a member of the \^ 

House of Burgesses of the Vir- 
ginia colony. In that same 
year a Virginia boy, who, like 
Washington, afterward became 
famous in his country's history, 
set out from his home for the 
town of Williamsburg, to enter 
the College of William and 
Alary. Thomas Jefferson was 
the name of the youthful seeker 
after knowledge. His home 
was near the foot of the moun- 
tains, in what was then the far 
W^st of the Virginia settle- 
ments. It was a long ride to the capital of the colony, 
but our young traveler had a strong, active body that 
was not easily tired. From his earliest boyhood he had 
been trained by his father to swim, to shoot, to ride, to 

205 




JEFFERSON. 



2o6 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

climb. And then the journey was made easy by frequent 
stops at the hospitable homes on the way. 

Jefferson Spends a Merry Christmas Having started 

on his journey in December, the Christmas holidays 
found young Jefferson a guest at one of the homes on 
the road. Among the other Christmas visitors was a 
gay, rollicking young fellow named Patrick Henry. 
Henry had kept a country store, but had recently failed 
in business, and had not yet decided what to do next. 
His failure, however, did not make him sad. By his 
funny stories, his fiddling, dancing, and jokes, he kept 
the young people of the company in constant laughter. 
Jefferson, being himself a good violinist, and fond of 
pleasant company, was much attracted to the merry 
fiddler. 

Jefferson at College — The Christmas season over, Jef- 
ferson continued his journey to Williamsburg. He had 
been so diligent in his previous school work that he was 
well advanced in his studies, and entered a high class in 
college. He was now not quite seventeen years old, tall, 
slender, sandy-haired. He studied hard, yet he did not 
neglect regular exercise. Every evening at twilight he 
took a run of a mile. Thus, while improving his mind 
he kept his body strong. He spent many pleasant even- 
ings at the home of the governor, where his skill with the 
violin made the young student a welcome visitor. Tw0r< 
years after entering college he was graduated. 

Thomas Jefferson's Home — Like George Washington. " 
Thomas Jeff'erson in early boyhood, had to mourn the 
death of his father. Being the eldest son, Thomas then 
assisted his widowed mother in the management of their 



THOMAS JEFFERSON 



207 



large wheat and tobacco plantation. There were no 
pianos or organs in the homes of that time. Yet 
Thomas and his eldest sister had fine voices, and to the 
accompaniment of the brother's violin they made their 
home musical with the latest songs as well as with the 
old familiar hymns. As a schoolboy Jefferson was 
timid, yet fond of play. He was a hard student, and al- 
wavs ranked among the first in his classes. After he 




Copyright Detroit Photo Co. 

MONTICELLO, THE HOME OF JEFFERSON. 



grew to manhood the home, "Shadwell," in which he 
had been born and where he had lived with his mother 
and sisters and little brother, burned to the ground. 
Nearly everything in the house, including Jefferson's 
books and papers, was lost. Thomas was absent at the 
time. The negro boy who brought him the bad news 
added with a joyful grin that his master's fiddle was 
saved. Jeft'erson then began to l)uild the house which 



2o8 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

was his home until his death, and near which his body is 
biiricd. He called the new home "Monticello," or "Lit- 
tle Mountain," from its situation on a beautiful height 
near the town of Charlottesville. 

Jefferson Studies Law and Listens to a Great Speech 

After graduating at William and Mary College, Jeffer- 
son returned to Williamsburg to study law. It hap- 
pened about this time that the news of the passage of 
the Stamp Act reached Virginia, and the burgesses at 
once began to discuss the measure. Young Jefferson 
entered the hall and stood near the door to hear what 
was said. His gay fiddle-playing acc[uaintance, Patrick 
Henry, who had surprised everybody by studying law 
and becoming a successful lawyer, was now a member 
of the House and took part in the debate. Henry's burn- 
ing words startled the assembly. He declared that not 
the king of England, nor Parliament, but the Virginia 
burgesses alone, had the right to tax Virginians. Then, 
si)eaking of the injustice of King George the Third, he 
cried out, in a voice of thunder, ''Caesar had his Brutus, 
Charles the First his Cromwell, and George the Third 
— " At this point many members, thinking he was going 
to threaten the death of King George the Third, sprang 
to their feet and interrupted his speech with loud shouts 
of 'Treason!" "Treason!" But Henry with pale face 
and flashing eyes waited till the uproar had ceased, then 
finished by saying, "George the Third may profit by 
their examples. If that be treason, make the most of 
it !" Young Jefferson never forgot this scene. He said 
it seemed to him that Patrick Henry spoke like the grand 
poet Homer wrote. 



THOMAS JEFFERSON 209 

Jefferson in Public Life. — Not long after he began the 
practice of law Jefferson himself became one of the Vir- 
ginia burgesses. Then he was sent to Congress. He 
was not a good speaker, but he was a fine writer. He 
favored the Revolution, and was appointed with several 
others to write the Declaration of Independence. The 
Other members of the committee asked Jeff'erson to write 
it. He did so, and the great Declaration prepared by 
him was signed by the members of Congress on the 4th 
of July, 1776. Jefferson was a great believer in equal 
rights for all citizens. Among the laws of Virginia 
which he succeeded in getting passed was one giving 
religious freedom to all the people. He followed Patrick 
Henry as governor of Virginia during the Revolution- 
ary War. After the war Congress sent him to France 
as American minister. When 'General Washington be- 
came President he made Jeff'erson his Secretary of State. 
He was Vice-President of the United States under Presi- 
dent John Adams. In 1800 he was elected President of 
the United States. 

Death of Jefferson — Adams, the second President, and 
Jefferson, the third, both lived to be old men. Strange 
to say, they both died on the same day, and that day the 
4th of July, 1826 — just fifty years from the day on which 
Jefferson's great work, the Declaration of Independence, 
was signed. On his tombstone at Monticello are carved 
the words which before his death he asked to be placed 
there. These words tell three great deeds of his life by 
which he wished to be remembered. They read as fol- 
lows : 



2IO THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



Here zvas buried 

C^bomas Seffereon, 

AUTHOR OF 

THE DECLARATION OF AMERICAN INDEPENDENCE, 

OF THE 

STATUTE OF VIRGINIA FOR RELIGIOUS FREEDOM, 

AND 
FATHER OF THE UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA. 



Mention two famous Virginians who went to Williamsburg the 
same year, near the close of the French War. What was the purpose 
of each? Tell about Thomas Jefferson's journey;. the merry Christ- 
mas he spent on the way; his life as a college student. What sorrow 
befell Jefferson when a boy? Tell about Jefferson's boyhood; the 
burning of his home ; the home he afterward built. What did Jeffer- 
son do after graduating? Tell about the great speech which he 
heard. To what different offices was Jefferson chosen? What great 
paper did he write while in Congress? What law of Virginia did 
he write? Tell about his death; the words on his tombstone. 



FROM THE MISSISSIPPI TO THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS 

Why We Wanted the Mouth of the Mississippi. — Who 

should own the land at the mouth of the Mississippi was 
an all-important question to the settlers of the Western 
region won hy Clark, Boone, Sevier, ajid their com- 
rades. There were no cities west of the Alleghanies, 
and the only market for American crops was in the At- 
lantic States or in Europe. But railroads had not been 
dreamed of, and there w'ere not even g'ood wagon roads 
across the mountains; the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers 
then became the great highways of Western commerce. 



THOMAS JEFFERSON 



211 



Boat loads of wheat, corn, hides, and other produce 
floated down these rivers to New Orleans, and were 
there loaded upon ships to be carried to the markets of 
the world. When Thomas Jefferson became President, 
France owned not only the land on the west bank of the 
Mississippi, but near the mouth of the stream she owned 
both banks. It would be easy for the guns of her forts 




FREIGHT WAGON OF JEFFERSON S TIME THAT MADE THE TRIP 
FROM PHILADELPHIA TO NEW YORK IN TWENTY DAYS. 

at New Orleans to stop any ship passing in or out of the 
river, or to make them pay a tax for the privilege of 
passing. The ^^^estern farmers w^ere determined that 
their road to market should not be interfered with, so 
they insisted that the United States should in some way 
get possession of the land around New Orleans. 

How France Came to Sell — President Jeft'erson sent 
one of our citizens to France to urge that country to 
sell us New Orleans and the region around the mouth of 
the ^Mississippi. France at that time was engaged in a 
European war, and needed money. She feared that her 



212 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

enemy England would attack Louisiana. She also knew 
that hardy American frontiersmen had already begun 
to cross the Mississippi into her possessions, and with 
their ideas of liberty and independence they might give 
her trouble. So she offered to sell President Jefferson 
not only New Orleans, but her whole Louisiana Terri- 
tory. The price she named, fifteen million dollars, we 
gladly paid (1803). Nowhere was there greater joy 
over our bargain than among the farmers of Tennes- 
see, Kentucky, and Ohio. 

The "Louisiana" We Bought — The Louisiana which 
we bought was the western half of the Louisiana named 
by La Salle and claimed by him for France a hundred 
and twenty years before. Beginning with the present 
State of Louisiana, it extended northward to the source 
of the Mississippi and northwestward to the Rocky 
Mountains. By buying it President Jefiferson more than 
doubled the size of the United States. Ten great States 
lAid a large part of four others, have been formed from 
the "Louisiana Purchase." 

Exploring Our New Purchase. — Most of the Louisiana 
Purchase had never been visited by a white man, and 
was less known to the people of the United States than 
is the north pole to-day. Many strange stories were told 
about this Western country. It was said that near the 
Rocky Mountains lived a tribe of Indian giants; that in 
the far West was a mountain of pure salt a hundred and 
eighty miles long with brooks of salt water running 
down its sides. President Jefferson determined to find 
out the truth about our new possession. He sent out an 
exploring party under two captains, Meriwether Lewis 



THOMAS JEFFERSON 



213 




and William Clark (brother of General George Rogers 
Clark). Their orders were to follow the Mississippi 
River to its source, to cross the Rocky Mountains, and to 
descend the Columbia River to the Pacific Ocean. 

The Expedition of Lewis and Clark. — The party started 
up the ]\Iissouri River in one large boat driven by 
sails and oars and in two smaller rowboats. Their boats 
were loaded with food, such as coffee, sugar, crackers, 
and dried meat, with clothing and tools, and with pres- 
ents of beads, 
blankets, and 
knives for the 
Indians. The 
explorers left St. 
Louis in the 
spring. By the 
end of summer 
they reached the 
Platte River. 
Here on a bluff 
they held a coun- 
cil with the In- 
dians, and called 
the place Council Bluffs. Late in the autumn they had 
reached what is now the State of South Dakota. They 
decided to go into camp for the winter. So they landed 
on an island in the river on which there was plenty of tim- 
ber, and began to cut down trees for their winter huts. 
In the spring they started again. At last the current of 
the river became so swift that they could not use their 
boats. An Indian guide was found who led the men, 






A MOUNTAIN TRAIL IN THE COUNTRY 
TRAVERSED BY LEWIS AND CLARK. 



214 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

tired, foot-sore, and half-starved, across the Rocky 
Mountains. Coming to a river, they buih new boats and 
began to descend the stream. It brought them to the 
Columbia. Their voyage down this river took several 
weeks, and it was late in autumn when they heard the 
roar of the waves of the Pacific, and felt that their 
long journey was ended. They spent the winter on the 
Pacific coast, and the following spring started on their 
homeward journey. They reached St. Louis two years 
and four months after they had set out. 

Results of the Work of Lewis and Clark — The account 
of their journey written by Captains Lewis and Clark 
was eagerly read. People began to realize the great 
value of the Louisiana Purchase. The "Great West" 
lay now beyond the Mississippi instead of beyond the 
Alleghanies. In exploring the Columbia River, Lewis 
and Clark had strengthened our title to the Oregon 
country beyond the mountains. The United States al- 
ready had a claim to Oregon on account of the visit of 
an American ship to the mouth of that river tJiirteen 
years before. 

Why was the question of the ownership of the land at the moutli of 
the Mississippi so important to the settlers west of the Alleghanies? 
When Jefferson became President who owned this land? What did 
the Western farmers demand ? What induced France to sell us 
Louisiana? What was the price paid? What can you say of the 
size of the "Louisiana" President Jefferson bought? Tell how little 
was known of our new purchase. What exploring party did Presi- 
dent Jefferson send out? What were they directed to do? Tell 
about the expedition. What were some of the results of the work 
of Lewis and Clark? 



THOMAS JEFFERSON 215 

WE TEACH THE PIRATES OF AFRICA A LESSON 

How the Pirates Treated Our People — The Revolu- 
tionary War proved how well we could defend ourselves 
against foreign armies on our own soil. About twenty 
years later, while Thomas Jefferson was President, we 
had a chance to show the world that we were ready and 
able to take care of our people and our flag in distant 
parts of the earth. The northern coast of Africa was 
the home of pirates who made a business of capturing 
the ships of other countries. The sailors and passen- 
gers of the captured ships were thrown into prison or 
made to work as slaves. They were cruelly treated, be- 
ing poorly fed, and for the slightest offense severely 
punished. Unless their friends were able to pay the 
pirates a large sum for their ransom the poor captives 
had to spend the rest of their days in slavery. Every 
year American ships were captured by the pirates and 
American citizens made captive. 

The United States Decides to Punish the Pirates The 

nations of Europe were in the habit of paying the pirates 
in advance every year not to attack their ships. The 
United States did so for a while; then we determined 
to use powder and lead instead of gold to make the 
pirates respect our flag, and stop their outrageous con- 
duct toward our ships. President Jefferson sent four 
ships of war to the Mediterranean Sea to protect our 
merchant vessels. Our little fleet captured several 
pirate ships and took a number of prisoners. 

Lieutenant Decatur's Brave Deed. — One of our war- 
ships, the Philadelphia, while chasing a pirate vessel. 



2l6 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

stuck fast on a rock in the harbor of Tripoli, and had to 
surrender. The crew of the Philadelphia were thrown 
into prison, and the ship itself was added to the pirate 
fleet. As we could not recapture our ship a bold plan 
was formed to destroy it. Lieutenant Decatur, com- 
manding- a small vessel he had captured a short time be- 
fore, sailed into the harbor by night, and ran alongside 
the Philadelphia before the enemy discovered that his 
crew were Americans. Then his men sprang on board 
the Philadelphia, killed or chased overboard the pirate 
crew, set fire to the ship, and sailed away in the light of 
the flames without the loss of a man. 

The Pirates Promise to Respect Our Flag — After this 
our fleet bombarded the pirate capital, and at the same 
time we sent a force to attack the city by land. The 
ruler of the pirates then begged for peace and promised 
to make a treaty by which he would let our ships alone 
without being paid for it. Thus the young government 
of the United States gave notice to the world that ships 
flying the Stars and Stripes would be protected on what- 
ever waters they sailed. 

Tell about how the pirates of Africa treated our people in President 
Jefferson's time. What were European nations in the habit of doing? 
What did the United States at last decide to do? What steps did 
President Jefferson take to protect our ships? Tell about Lieutenant 
Decatur's brave deed ; the defeat of the pirates. By this war what 
did we show the world? 



CHAPTER XIV 



Andrew Jackson 



The War of 1812. The Purchase of Florida 

Andrew Jackson's Boyhood — When the Revohitionary 
War began Mrs. Jackson, a widow, was Hving with her 
two sons in a log cabin in the backwoods of North Caro- 
Hna. Andrew, the younger of the boys, was at that 
time eight years old. The ^_ 

■ little family was very poor. 
The boys went to school in a 
log cabin in the woods. But 
as they had to work hard to 
help their mother make a liv- 
ing, and as their home was in 
the path of the British army, 
they could not stay long at 
school, so did not learn much 
in their books. Once the 
boys were captured by British 

i soldiers, and Andrew was or- 
dered by an officer to clean his 
muddy boots. Andrew re- 
fused to obey, and the angry officer struck him with a 
sword, leaving a scar that he bore the rest of his life. 
Both boys were thrown into prison, where they took the 
smallpox. They recovered from the smallpox, but An- 

217 




ANDREW JACKSON. 



2l8 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

drew's brother died soon after he was released from 
prison. Before the war ended Andrew's mother died, 
leaving him, a boy of fourteen, alone in the world. 

Jackson Moves to Tennessee, and is Elected to Office. 

Andrew tried supporting himself by making saddles and 
harness; then by keeping a country store; finally he 
studied law and became a lawyer. He moved to Ten- 




JACKSON REFUSING TO BLACK A BRITISH OFFICER'S BOOTS. 



nessec, and though he knew little a1)0ut law, yet his 
knowledge of human nature and his rough honesty made 
him popular, and he was elected judge. Afterward the 
people of Tennessee elected him to Congress. Jackson 
was a strong-willed man with a high temper that fre- 
(juently got him into fights. 
Beginning of Our Second War with England W'hen 



ANDREW JACKSON 219 

Andrew Jackson was about forty-five years old our coun- 
try had another war with England. This war is often 
called the War of 181 2 because it began in that year. 
For some time England and France had been fighting 
each other. In order to injure her enemy, England 
passed a law that no American ship should trade with 
France or with any country allied to France. France 
then made a law that no American ship should trade 
with England or with any of her colonies. Both France 
and England claimed the right to seize any of our ships 
caught violating these laws. As England had a far 
stronger navy than France she seized more of our ships 
than France did, and caused us greater loss. Besides, 
this, English oflficers would force their way on board our 
ships, and if they found one of our sailors whom they 
believed to be an Englishman they would take him off 
with them. Often these of^cers refused to listen to our 
men. Thousands of native-born Americans were thus 
seized and made to serve on English ships. At last we 
decided to make England stop her insults; in the year 
181 2 we declared war against her. 

Perry's Victory on Lake Erie — Most of the land battles 
of the war were fought on the Canadian frontier. Our 
armies made several attempts to invade Canada, but they 
met with poor success. Yet we were able to keep the 
British armies from getting very far into our own terri- 
tory. The most important battle in this region was 
fought on Lake Erie. The British fieet on the lake was 
commanded by an experienced officer who had served in 
European wars. The commander of the American fleet, 
Captain Oliver H. Perry, was a young man who had 



220 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 




PERRY S VICTORY ON LAis.E ERIE. 



never before been in a naval battle. From the mast of 
Perry's ship floated a blue flag bearing in large white 
letters the words, "Don't give up the ship !" These were 
the last words of the brave American captain, Law- 
rence, who had been killed in a naval battle on the At- 

1 a n t i c a few 
months before. 
Perry's ship was 
attacked by two of 
the enemy's ves- 
sels, and all on 
board except him- 
self and a few oth- 
ers were killed or 
wounded. After 
helping to fire the 
last gun he jumped into a boat, carrying his flag with 
him, and started for another one of his ships which was 
yet unhurt. Showers of cannon balls and musket shot 
fell around him little boat, but it made the passage safely. 
Perry climbed on deck, flung his blue flag to the breeze, 
and in fifteen minutes every British ship had sur- 
rendered, 

Jackson's Victory at New Orleans. — On the Atlantic 
Ocean our seamen won the admiration of the world by 
many glorious victories. On land, however, the British 
were generally successful. Washington City was cap- 
tured, and our Capitol was burned. The British then 
prepared to take New Orleans. Fifty ships carrying 
twelve thousand men sailed to attack the city. Andrew 
Jackson was sent to defend this place. A short time be- 



ANDREW JACKSON 



221 



fore this Jackson had won a great victory over the Creek 
Indians of Alabama, and he was now "General" Jack- 
son. His little army at New Orleans was only half as 
large as that of the British. Nevertheless he hastily 
made a long breastwork of earth and Cotton bales, and 
behind this calmly awaited the enemy. When the Brit-- 




THE BATTLE OF NEW ORLEANS. 



ish soldiers came within shot of Jackson's Kentucky and 
Tennessee riflemen there was a sheet of flame from the 
earthworks, and the long line of redcoats melted away. 
Again and again they tried to reach our breastworks, but 
in vain. Their defeat was a severe one. The British 
general and more than two thousand of his men were 
killed. In the American army there were only eight 



222 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

men killed and thirteen wounded. This last battle of 
the war was fought in 1815. The 8th of January (the 
day of the victory) has since been celebrated as a holi- 
day by the people of Louisiana, and Jackson is known as 
the "hero of New Orleans." 

The War Ended — Two weeks before the battle of New 
Orleans both sides signed a treaty of peace in the city of 
Ghent, in Europe ; but we on this side of the water knew 
nothing of it. There were no telegraphs and railroads 
in those days, and steamboats had not yet dared to 
cross the ocean. On the day of the battle a ship bearing 
the news of peace was slowly plowing her way through 
the waves in the middle of the Atlantic, with nothing 
but the wind against her outspread sails to drive her on- 
ward. When she at last reached our shores we realized 
that the battle of New Orleans need never have been 
fought. We gained what we fought for in the war. 
Though England made no promises in the treaty, she has 
never since tried to seize our ships or arrest our seamen. 
The nations of Europe began to respect us as they never 
had done before. 

Purchase of Florida. — After the Creek Indians of Ala- 
bama were defeated by General Jackson many of .them 
iled to Florida and joined the Seminole tribe of that sec- 
tion. Led by their chief, "Billy Bowlegs," these Indians 
made raids into Georgia, driving off cattle, stealing 
slaves, and murdering settlers. General Jackson was 
sent against them. "Old Hickory," as the people called 
him, made short work of the Indians. He quickly chased 
them out of Georgia into Florida. Florida at that time 
belonged to Spain, and an Auierican army had no right 



ANDREW JACKSON 



223 



to cross her frontier while the two nations were at 
peace. But our fiery general followed the Indians far 
into the Spanish territory and captured the chief vil- 
lage of the sav- 



ages. He seized 
several Spanish 
forts, and hung 
two white men and 
two Indian chiefs 
for stirring up the 
Seminoles. The 
President of the 
United States, on 
inquiring into the 
affair, gave back 
the forts to Spain. 




UNITED STATES AFTER THE PURCHASE 
OF FLORIDA. 



But Spain now decided that she was willing to sell a ter- 
ritory which seemed likely to get her into trouble with 
the United States. We were glad to buy; so a bargain 
was made. For five million dollars Spain sold Florida. 
At the same time we gave up our claim to Texas as a 
part of the Louisiana Purchase, and Spain gave up her 
claim to the Oregon country. 

Jackson President of the United States. — In 1828 An- 
drew Jackson was elected President of the United States. 
He was the first President whose home was west of the 
Alleghany Mountains. He was the first man, too, who 
had risen from a poor boy to the highest office in our 
country. Wliile he was President there was bitter dis- 
puting among our citizens over some great public ques- 
tions : one, whether there should be a United States bank 



224 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

in which to put United States money ; another, as to how 
great a tax, or tariff, should be placed on goods brought 
into this country. Jackson, as we might expect from his 
fiery nature, took a leading part in these disputes. Yet 
the people thought he made a good President, for when 
his first term expired they elected him a second time. At 
the close of his second term as President he went back to 
his home in Tennessee, He died in 1845, ^" *^^^^^ man of 
seventy-eight years. 

Tell about the boyhood home of Andrew Jackson ; about the treat- 
ment of Andrew and his brother by British soldiers. What did 
Andrew do for a living? Where did he go from North Carolina? 
How was he liked in his new home? What sort of disposition did 
he have. Tell how our second war with England began. Where 
(lid most of the land battles of this war take place? Tell about the 
l;atlle on Lake Erie. What can you say of the success of the British 
in the land battles? Tell about the battle of New Orleans. Why was 
the battle of New Orleans unnecessary? What was the result of the 
War of 1812? Tell how Indians from Florida annoyed the 
people of Georgia. Who was sent against these Indians ? What did 
Jackson do ? Tell about our purchase of Florida. To what high 
office was General Jackson finally chosen? How did he differ from 
preceding Presidents? What pul)lic questions came up while he was 
President ? W'hen and where did he die ? 



CHAPTER XV 

Three Great Inventions 

The Steamboat 

Difficulties of Travel One Hundred Years Ago — When 
Washington was President, ahhough our country was 
then less than half its present size, as much time was 
required to travel across the United States as it takes to 
go around the world to-day. Travel was so slow, un- 







STAGECOACH IN WHICH OUR GRANDFATHERS TRAVELED. 

comfortable, and expensive that no one dreamed of 
traveling for pleasure. Most journeys had to be made 
on horseback. Between the largest towns stagecoaches 
carrying mail and passengers passed two or three times 
a week. The trip from Baltimore to New York cost 
itwenty-one dollars and required four days. At the 
hotels along the road the traveler spending the night 

225 



226 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

would probably have to share his room with four or five 
others. A\'ater journeys were as slow and uncomfort- 
able as land journeys. It took a week for sailing ves- 
sels on the Hudson River to travel the hundred and fifty 
miles from New York to Albany; and passengers on the 
boats had to furnish their own bedding and food. When 
we bought Louisiana many persons thought it would be 
impossible for our government to control such a vast ter- 
ritory. They declared that the United States would 
soon separate into several smaller republics. This re- 
sult would probably have happened had it not been for 
three great inventions that have brought Maine and 
Texas nearer together than Maine and Massachusetts 
were one hundred years ago. These inventions — two 
of them by Americans — were the steamboat, the rail- 
road, and the telegraph. 

The First Successful Steamboat — One August day in 
the year 1807 a great crowd had assembled on the bank 
of the Hudson River in the city of New York. A steam- 
boat, the first that ever appeared on the Hudson, was to 
make its trial trip. A short time before this there had 
been two attempts in different parts of the United States 
to make boats that could be propelled by steam. But 
neither attempt had been successful ; the boats moved too 
slowly, and it cost too much to run them. The crowd 
that now lined the banks of the Hudson fully expected 
to see another failure. They made much fun of "Ful- 
ton's Folly," as they jeeringly called the queer-looking 
boat, with its two great paddle wheels at its sides, with 
its tall smokestack, and with its masts and sails besides. 
Directly clouds of smoke mingled with sparks began to 



THREE GREAT INVENTIONS 



227 



pour from the smokestack. Then the great paddle 
wheels began to turn, and the boat started off. Those 
who had come to make fun were now silent in wonder. 
Then as the speed increased and showers of spray were 
thrown up by the uncovered wheels the little crew on 
the boat caught the sound of cheers from the shore. 
Straight up the river the boat continued, making the 




FULTON S STEAMBOAT, THE CLERMONT. 



hundred and fifty miles to Albany in thirty-two hours. 
The return trip was made in thirty hours. "Fulton's 
Folly" was now Fulton's Success. 

Robert Fulton, the Inventor.— Robert Fulton, the in- 
ventor of the steamboat, was born in Pennsylvania. He 
was ten years old when the Revolutionary War began. 
As a boy at school he was fond of drawing. He had 
great talent for making things. When he wanted a 
pencil he hammered one out of lead; he made his own 
fireworks for the 4th of July. The boat which he and 



228 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

his playmates used in fishing was pushed along with 
poles. This was tiresome work, so Robert contrived 
some paddle wheels turned by a crank to propel it. 
When he was seventeen years old he went to Phila- 
delphia and supported himself by painting pictures. He 
saved enough money to go to Europe. Then he gave up 
his painting, for he liked machinery better than pictures. 
He invented a torpedo for blowing up vessels of war. 
He also invented a diving boat, to move under water. 

Fulton's Efforts to Make a Steamboat. — All the time 
that he was working on other things, however, Fulton 
was trying to plan a boat that could be moved by steam. 
He formed a partnership with Livingston, a wealthy and 
influential New Yorker. In France, Fulton and Liv- 
ingston built a steamboat on the Seine. Before it could 
be tried its heavy engine broke the boat in two, and the 
vessel sank to the bottom. It was fished up and re- 
paired. On trial the boat moved, but so slowly that the 
spectators thought it a failure. Fulton saw how he could 
imprpve it, and at once set to work planning another 
boat to make a trial trip on the Hudson River in his own 
country. He called this boat the Clcrnwnt — the name 
of his friend Livingston's home. The successful trip of 
this boat from New York to Albany has been described. 

Improvements in the Steamboat — After this the build- 
ing of steamboats went on rapidly. Four years after 
the launching of the Clermont the first steamboat ap- 
peared on the Mississippi. This boat was built at Pitts- 
burg by Fulton and Livingston, and went from Pitts- 
burg to New Orleans in fourteen days. In 1819 the. 
first voyage across the ocean was made by a steamship. 



THREE GREAT INVENTIONS 



229 



In this year the Savannah, from Savannah, Georgia, 
crossed to Liverpool, and from there went to St. Peters- 
burg, stopping in Denmark and Sweden. The Swedish 
king offered one hundred thousand dollars for the vessel, 
but his offer was refused. Many of the first steamboats 
had sails to help them along. In later years instead of 
paddle wheels ocean steamers are moved by screw pro- 
pellers which turn under the water at the stern of the 
ship. 

Modern Steamboats — One of the largest steamboats in 
the world to-day (1912) is the Mauvetania, an ocean 
steamship seven hundred and eighty-eight feet long, and 




Copyright Detroit Phot.. C. 

A MODERN STEAMSHIP, THE MAURETANIA. 



able to carry twenty-one hundred persons. The speed of 
modern ocean steamer is from twenty to twenty-five 
miles an hour, though there are smaller vessels that can 
move at the rate of thirty to forty miles an hour. The 
passenger steamer of to-day has all the comforts and 
conveniences of an elegant hotel, such as spacious din- 



230 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

ing rooms, parlors, pianos, library, baths, and electric 
lights. 

Why was there no traveling for pleasure in Washington's lime? 
Give some examples of the difificulties of travel by land; by water. 
What did some people declare would be the result of the purchase 
of Louisiana ? Name three inventions that helped to prevent such 
a result. When and where was the first successful steamboat tried? 
Tell about the trial trip of this boat. Who was the niventor ? Tell 
about his boyhood; how he first supported himself; his first inven- 
tions ; his efforts to make a steamboat ; the first steamboat on the 
Mississippi; the first steamboat voyage across the ocean; improve- 
ments in the steamboat. 



great-grandfathers 



THE RAILROAD 

A Railroad Seventy-five Years Ago — In a schoolbook 
called refer Parley's lursf Book of History, which your 
and great-grandmothers studied 
when they were chil- 
dren, is the following 
interesting informa- 
tion a1)0Ut Baltimore, 
Md. : 

"But the most curi- 
ous thing at Balti- 
more is the railroad. 
I must tell you that 




FIRST RAILROAD IN THE UNITED STATES, thcrc is a grcat tradc 

between Baltimore 
and the States west of the Alleghany Mountains. 
There is therefore a vast deal of traveling back and 
forth, and hundreds of teams are constantly occu- 
pied in transporting goods and produce to and from 



THREE GREAT liNVENTIONS 



231 



market. Now, to carry on all this business more easily, 
the people are building what is called a railroad. This 
consists of iron bars laid along the ground, and made 
fast, so that carriages with small wheels may run along 
upon them with facility. In this way one horse will 
be able to draw as much as ten horses on a common road. 
A part of this railroad is already done, and if you choose 
to take a ride upon it you can do so. You will mount a 
car something like a stage, and then you will be drawn 
along by two horses, at the rate of twelve miles an hour." 
This railroad, the "Baltimore and Ohio," was opened in 
1830, and continued to use horse power until the road 
was finished to the town of Frederick, sixty-one miles 
distant, in 1832. 

The First Locomotive — While Robert Fulton was 
planning his first steamboat English inventors were 
working on the problem of how to make a steam wagon. 




ONE OF THE FIRST PASSENGER TRAINS. 



During our war of 181 2 George Stephenson, an English 
coal digger, invented the first successful steam locomo- 
tive. Fifteen years later, or about the time the Balti- 
more and Ohio horse-power railroad was opened, loco- 
motives began to be tried in the United States. The 
first engines were no larger than a hand car of the pres- 
ent day, and had a boiler about the size of a flour barrel. 



232 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

The first passenger trains, as the picture shows, looked 
quite dififerent from those with which we are famihar. 

Discomforts of Railroad Travel. — Travel on these 
trains could not have been very pleasant. As rich pine 
wood was used for fuel there were clouds of black smoke 
and showers of burning cinders. Nor did the engines 
then have any contrivance to catch the sparks. Conse- 
quently the passengers were kept busy dodging cinders 
and putting out the fire in their clothes ; at the end of a 
journey they looked as though they had spent a day in a 
blacksmith shop. There were no sleeping cars. At 
night the coaches, with their hard, straight-backed seats, 
were dimly lighted with tallow candles. One of the 
first railroad accidents happened in South Carolina. 
The fireman on the engine was a negro. In the ab- 
sence of the engineer he determined to stop the noisy his- 
sing sound made by the steam escaping from the safety 
valve; so he fastened down the valve, and, to hold it 
more firmly, sat on it himself. You can guess what hap- 
pened. For some time after this passengers refused to 
ride on this road unless there was a freight car loaded 
high with cotton bales between them and the engine. 

Railroads To-day. — Railroads now cross our country in 
every direction from the Atlantic to the Pacific and from 
Canada to Mexico. They have built up our great West, 
bringing in settlers and carrying Western products to 
Eastern markets. They have brought all parts of our 
country nearer together, causing the different sections to 
know and understand each other better. In W^ashing- 
ton's time the traveler was carried by his horse prob- 
ably forty miles in a day. He had to stop at the farm- 



THREE GREAT INVENTIONS 



233 



houses or hotels on the road to get his meals and to spend 
the nights. To-day the traveler speeds along in a pas- 
senger train at the rate of fifty miles an hour. While 
his train is whirling onward through tunnels and over 




I By Curtesy of the Santa Fe Railroad) 

THE LARGEST LOCOMOTIVE IX THE WORLD, I912. 

bridges he may eat his meals in an elegant dining car; 
then a drawing-room car offers him the comforts of 
parlor and library; and at night he may retire to a com- 
fortable bed in a sleeping car. 

Tell about the railroad described in Peter Parley's history. When 
and by whom was the first successful steam locomotive invented ? 
Describe the first locomotive and passenger cars. Mention some of 
the discomforts of railroad travel. Tell about the railroad accident 
in South Carolina; modern railroads. 



The Telegraph 

Samuel Morse, Inventor of the Telegraph About the 

time that railroads came into use in the United States 
j,another invention that helped to make our country great 
?was made. This was the electric telegraph. Samuel 
Morse, the inventor of the telegraph, was a Massachu- 
setts bov, the son of a minister. Like Robert Fulton, 



234 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



young Morse was fond of drawing. One of the first 
whippings he ever got was 'for scratching with a pin a 
picture of his teacher on his mother's bureau. When 
his school days were over his father sent him to Europe 

to study painting. His father 
being poor, Samuel was often in 
sore need of money. He wrote 
home from Europe: "I have 
had no new clothes for nearly 
a year. My shoes are out at 
the toes. My stockings all 
want to see my mother, and my 
hat is gray with age." Never- 
^ theless he studied hard, and 
painted some pictures that made 
him so famous that he was 
elected professor of art in the 
University of New York. 
While on the return voyage 
to America, in 1832, the conversation of some passen- 
gers on the ship turned Morse's thoughts to electric- 
ity. Before he had reached New York he had made 
a drawing of a telegraph instrument, and had devised an 
alphabet of signs. ''Well, captain," he said to the cap- 
tain of the ship when he reached land, "should you ever 
hear of the telegraph, remember that the discovery was 
made on the good ship Sully." 

Morse's Difficulties. — As there was no telegraph wire 
in those days Morse bought a quantity of wire used in 
making ladies' bonnets, and with this wire and the in- 
strument he had made he was able to send messages a 




SAMUEL F. B. MORSE. 



THREE GREAT INVENTIONS 235 

short distance. At this time he supported himself by 
teaching, and as he had only three pupils he was fre- 
quently hard pressed for something to eat. A rich mill 
owner, whose son became interested in Professor 
Morse's experiments, furnished the means to make the 
first perfect instrument. To build the first telegraph 
line required more money than any rich men of that day 
were willing to risk, so it was decided to ask Congress to 
build a line. A bill was introduced appropriating thirty 
thousand dollars to construct a telegraph line from 
AA ashington to Baltimore, forty miles. Some of the 
members of Congress made fun of the proposed tele- 
graph, and Morse gave up all hope of getting the money. 

The First Telegraph Line — In the midst of his discour- 
agement a young lady brought Morse the news that 
Congress had passed his telegraph bill just five minutes 
before adjournment. He was so rejoiced that he prom- 
ised her that she should send the first message. In the 
spring of 1841 the line was completed. A passage from 
the Bible, "\\'hat hath God wrought!" (Num. xxiii, 23) 
was the first message sent. The first news sent over the 
wire was that the convention of Democrats which met 
in Baltimore nominated James K. Polk for President. 
For Vice-President they nominated Silas Wright, who 
was then in Washington, and they notified him by tele- 
graph. He sent four separate telegrams declining the 
nomination, but the convention refused to believe them, 
and finally sent a committee to Washington "to get re- 
lial)le information on the subject." 

The Atlantic Cable — Before the first telegraph line had 
been built Morse had constructed a line beneath the 



236 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

water in New York harbor. The wire was wound with 
thread soaked in pitch, and was then inclosed with rub- 
ber. About 1850 Cyrus Field, a wealthy New Yorker, 
concluded that a telegraph could be laid across the At- 
lantic Ocean, and set to work to carry out his idea. It 
was sixteen years later before a cable that worked suc- 
cessfully was laid. This cable is over two thousand 
miles long. Since then many other cables have been 
laid. By means of the cable and the telegraph our daily 
newspaper is enabled to tell us each morning what hap- 
pened in all parts of the world the day before. 

Who invented the telegraph ? Tell about the boyhood of Morse ; 
his life in Europe; the beginning of his idea of the telegraph; the 
first telegraph wire ; his poverty. Who helped him make a perfect 
instrument ? Tell about the help he got from Congress ; the first 
message ; the first news ; the refusal to believe a telegraph message. 
Tell about the first telegraph line under water; the laying of the 
Atlantic cable. 



CHAPTER XVI 

A Period of Peaceful Development 

Three Great Statesmen 

Thirty-one Years of Peace. — For thirty-one years after 
the close of our second war with England our country 
was at peace with the world. Then came the war with 
Mexico, which you will read about in the next chapter. 
During this period of peace the population of the United 
States was more than doubled, and the number of States 
increased from eighteen to twenty-eight as follows : In- 
diana (1816), Mississippi (1817), Illinois (1818), Ala- 
bama (1819), Maine (1820), Missouri (1821), Arkan- 
sas (1836), Michigan (1837), Florida (1845), Texas 
( 1845 ) . Our country grew in wealth as well as in popu- 
lation. New inventions were made that in many ways 
changed the habits of our people. Cheaper rates of post- 
age and cheaper newspapers brought the news of the day 
into the poorest homes. It was seen that neither wealth 
nor noble birth was needed to enable an American citizen 
to rise to the highest office in the land. 

Need of Wise Government — In the days of President 
Washington farming and trading w^ere the pursuits in 
which nearly all our people were engaged. But with in- 
crease of population, the invention of new machinery, 
and changed conditions of living, other occupations grew 
popular, such as manufacturing, mining, and stock rais- 



238 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

ing. To make wise and just laws for a people with such 
dififerent occupations and such varied interests, and wath 
homes scattered over so large a country, liecame a task 
of increasing difficulty. In the halls of Congress, in 
newspapers, and among private citizens there were ex- 
cited disputes over laws proposed or passed. Yet we 
generally found some way to compromise our quarrels, 
and on the whole the government was wisely ad- 
ministered. 

Three Great Statesmen — Among the lawmakers of this 
period were three men who rank among the greatest 
statesmen our country has produced. These men were 
near the same age ; they entered Congress ahout the same 
time (just before the War of 1812) ; for forty years 
they held high offices almost continuously; and during 
this long period they took part in the settlement of nearly 
every great public question that disturbed our people. 
The names of these men are John C. Calhoun, of South 
Carolina; Henry Clay, of Kentucky; and Daniel Web- 
ster, of Massachusetts. 

Boyhood of Calhoun. — John C. Calhoun's father was an 
Irishman named Patrick Calhoun, who came to America 
while the thirteen colonies w^ere still subject to England. 
John was born in South Carolina at the close of the 
period of the Revolution. His first schooling was ob- 
tained in the short-term, poorly taught country schoolk 
near his home. When thirteen years of age he was sent 
to Georgia to attend an academy taught by his brother- 
in-law, a Presbyterian minister. Young Calhoun 
studied hard and was very fond of reading. Unlike 
Thomas Jefiferson, however (page 205), he made the 



A PERIOD OF PEACEFUL DEVELOP^^IEXT 239 

mistake of spending too much time in reading and study- 
ing, and he neglected to take sufficient exercise. The re- 
suh was that he injured his heahh, and had to give up 
his studies and return home. About this time his father 
died, and John took charge of the farm. Outdoor life 
soon restored his health, and he returned to school. 
Later he entered Yale College, in Connecticut, gradu- 
ated, and began the study of law. 

-Boyhood of Clay — At the time that John C. Calhoun 
was attending his first school in South Carolina Airs. 
Clay, the widow of a Baptist minister, was living with her 
children on a small farm in the swampy region of east- 
ern Mrginia known as "the Slashes." If you had 
passed through the widow's barnyard on almost any 
weekday afternoon you might have heard issuing from 
the barn the loud tones of some one making a speech. 
Then if you had stepped to the barn door and peeped in 
you would have seen a boy al)0Ut thirteen years of age 
standing before his horse and cow. He was addressing 
them in beautiful language, accompanying his words 
with suitable gestures, his small audience all the while 
gazing at the young orator in open-eyed wonder. The 
boy who was thus giving himself his first lessons in 
speechmaking by declaiming words memorized from a 
book was Henry Clay. He had poor school advantages, 
but, like Calhoun, he was a good student. He first at- 
tended school in a log cabin with a dirt floor. Out of 
school hours he worked hard on the farm. Barefooted, 
he plowed his mother's fields; and he often rode horse- 
back to mill with a rope for a bridle and a bag of wheat 
or corn for a saddle. Remembering this, his friends in 



240 THE BEGINNJLR'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

later years nicknamed him "the mill boy of the 
Slashes." 

Clay Studies Law and Moves to Kentucky. — After 
working in a store for a year Henry, at fifteen years of 
age, was employed as assistant clerk in one of the Vir- 
ginia courts. Here it was his duty to copy legal papers. 
The other clerks at first were disposed to laugh at the 
new boy's awkward appearance and movements. But 
Henry was so obliging and did his work so well that 
they soon stopped laughing. The judge of the court 
became his friend and recommended to him good books to 
read. When seventeen years old he began to study law. 
The next year he moved from Virginia to Kentucky, and 
l)egan to practice his profession. From this time Ken- 
tucky continued to be his home. 

Boyhood of Webster — Daniel Webster's boyhood was 
spent amid the hills of New Hampshire. Like Calhoun 
and Clay, Webster was reared on a farm. He was a 
delicate, sickly boy, however, and for this reason only 
light tasks were required of him. He said afterward 
that there were two things in his boyhood that he dearly 
loved, reading and playing. He read all the books in 
the village library, and committed to memory most of 
the contents of some of them. He was known as the 
quickest boy in school. His teacher once offered a knife 
to the boy who should recite the greatest number of 
verses from the Bible. On the next day, when Web- 
ster's turn came, he rose and repeated verse after verse 
until at last the teacher cried "Enough!" and handed 
him the knife. One day when Daniel and his father 
were riding together Mr. Webster told his son that he 



A PERIOD OF PEACEFUL DEVELOPMENT 241 

had decided to send him to college. Daniel knew that 
his father could ill afford this expense, and he was so 
overcome with surprise and thankfulness that he leaned 
his head upon his father's shoulder and wept. At col- 
lege he was known for his power of eloquent speech. 
After graduating he studied law, but before beginning 
to practice he taught school, for a few years in order to 
help pay the expenses of his older brother at college. 

Public Life of Calhoun, Clay, and Webster. — Not long 
after reaching manhood these three men, with homes so 
far apart, were brought together in the halls of Con- 
gress. When the House of Representatives met in 
Washington, in 181 5, among the youngest members 
were John C. Calhoun, of South Carolina ; Henry Clay, 
of Kentucky; and Daniel Webster, of New Hampshire. 
(Webster soon afterward moved to Massachusetts, and, 
until his death, made his home in that State.) Henry 
Clay was made chairman, or "speaker," of the House, 
and was many times re-elected to this office. Calhoun, 
Clay, and Webster were each at different times mem- 
bers of the President's cabinet. Calhoun was twice 
Vice-President of the United .States. The three served 
together as members of the United States Senate, each 
holding his office at the time of his death. Strange to 
say, no one of these three great statesmen was chosen 
to the office of President of the United States. 

The Cumberland Road — When Henry Clay entered 
public life the steamboat was a new invention and rail- 
roads were unknown. He saw the importance of pro- 
viding some easy way of transporting freight and 
passengers between the States on the Atlantic coast and 



242 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OE OUR COUNTRY 



those, like Kentucky, west of the Alleghanies. As a 
member of Congress, Clay favored the plan of using 
part of the money raised by taxation for the construc- 
tion of wagon roads, canals, and other ''internal im- 
provements." In accordance with this plan, a wagon 
road called the Cumberland Road was built, under 
direction of Congress, from Cumberland, a town in 
Maryland, across the mountains toward the Mississippi 
River. It was a splendid road — a great part of it eighty 
feet wide and paved with stone, and it proved of im- 
mense benefit to the country. Other roads were built 
and canals were dug, until the coming of the railroad put 
a stop to the old means of transportation. 

Henry Clay, the Peacemaker. — Many people both 
North and South believed slavery to be wrong. But slave 

labor was profitable in the South 
and unprofitable in the North. 
The people of the North, finding 
that slaves did not thrive in their 
cold climate, sold their slaves to 
the South, and then forbade slav- 
ery within their own borders. 
They also wished to require every 
new 'State that entered the Union 
to forbid slavery. Louisiana, the 
first State formed from the Lou- 
isiana Purchase, was admitted as 
a slave State in 1812. When 
the Territory of Missouri asked for admission, eight 
years later, Northern members of Congress demanded 
that she come in as a free State. The people of Mis- 




HENRY CLAY. 



A PERIOD OF PEACEFUL DEVELOPMENT 243 




JOHN C. CALHOUN. 



souri owned slaves and insisted on keeping them. The 
citizens of the other Southern States took the side of 
the Missourians, and there was a 
hot dispute in Congress that 
threatened to spHt the Union. 
Finally an agreement was 
reached which was advocated by 
Henr}^ Clay and carried chiefly 
by his eloquence (1820). This 
agreement, called the Missouri 
Compromise, provided that Mis- 
souri should be a slave State, but 
that slavery should be forbidden 
in all other portions of the Lou- 
isiana Purchase as far north as 
Alissouri. 

Thirty years later there was a similar struggle over 
the admission of California. Again Clay proposed a 
compromise, and his eloquence helped to carry it 
through. Because of his success in settling disputes 
Clay was called the Great Peacemaker. 

The Monroe Doctrine.— When James ^lonroe, of Vir- 
ginia, became President he appointed Calhoun Secre- 
tary of \\3.r. About this time the countries of South 
America that had belonged to Spain declared their in- 
dependence and set up governments of their own. 
France and several other European nations threatened 
10 force these South American countries to return to the 
rule of Spain. President Monroe then sent a message to 
Congress in which he declared that any attempt by Euro- 
pean governments to extend their forms of government 



244 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

to this continent would l)e dangerous to our peace and 
safety, and that no European nation would he permitted 
to establish or extend colonies on American soil. These 
bold declarations constitute what is known as the Monroe 
Doctrine. When the European rulers read them, they 
dropped their schemes to gain control of American ter- 
ritory. Since Monroe's time the Monroe Doctrine has 
been asserted by other Presidents, and the world now 
realizes that we are determined to maintain it. 

The Hayne-Webster Debate — Perhaps the most fa- 
mous debate that ever occurred in Congress was the one 
between Senators Daniel Webster, of Massachusetts, 
and Robert Y. E[ayne, of South Carolina. At this time 
Calhoun, as Vice-President of the United States, pre- 
sided over the Senate. Senator Hayne first made an elo- 
quent speech in which he declared that the high tariff 
(known as the protective tariff) fixed by Congress was 
unfair to the South. The Southern people had to buy 
all the manufactured goods they used, and they should, 
he contended, be permitted to buy them at as low prices 
as possible. The protective tariff made the South poorer 
and the New England manufacturers richer. The law, 
he said, was not only unfair, but it was contrary to the 
Constitution, and unless it was repealed some States 
would not allow it to be enforced. Hayne asserted 
further that if a State decided any law of Congress to be 
contrary to the Constitution, it could declare the law 
not l)in(ling on its own people. This was the Doctrine 
of Nullification. 

Webster, in his reply to Hayne, maintained that the 
Union was not a compact, or agreement between the 



A PERIOD OF PEACEFUL DEVELOPMENT 245 

States, that a State could not nullify a law of Congress, 
nor could a State withdraw from the Union which it had 
helped to form. 

South Carolina's Opposition to the Protective Tariff. — 
Calhoun was a firm believer in nullification. By his ad- 
vice South Carolina declared that the hateful tariff law 
should not be enforced in her borders, Andrew Jackson 
was then President, and he prepared to use the United 
States army, if necessary, to carry out the law. It 
looked for a time as if there would be war. Through 
the elTorts of Clay, the Peacemaker, however, a com- 
promise tariff law was passed, lowering the tarifif and 
satisfying South Carolina. This ended the trouble. In 
the midst of the dispute Calhoun resigned his place as 
Vice-President, in order that he might be elected Sena- 
tor from South Carolina and be able to take part in the 
debates in defense of his State. 

Improvements During This Period. — During this pe- 
riod steamboats began to appear on all our lakes and 
rivers; railroads took the place of canals and national 
wagon roads^ matches came into use instead of ' the 
clumsy flint and steel; McCormick's reaper increased the 
production of grain in the West as the cotton gin had 
stimulated cotton planting in the South ; the first photo- 
graphs were taken; public schools, particularly in the 
West, were made better and the school term lengthened ; 
newspapers and books became cheaper and were more 
widely read. At the beginning of this period we could 
claim only two great American authors, Washington 
Irving and William Cullen Bryant. Now other great 
names were rapidly added to the list, among them the 



246 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

novelists, Cooper and Hawthorne; the poets, Longfellow 
and Poe ; the historians, Bancroft and Prescott. 

Western Growth — This was a period of rapid j^rowth 
in the West. Railroads were pushed forward into the 
rich farming lands of the Mississippi Valley. Great 
steamboats, carrying, immense cargoes of products of 
the soil or manufactured articles, plied the Mississippi 
and its tributaries. The government owned great 
stretches of territory in the West that it had obtained 
from the States as they came into the Union. These 
lands bore a fertile soil and enjoyed a climate favorable 
to farming. The government sold them at low prices 
to homeseekers from foreign countries and from the old 
States. From 1821 to 1837 the population of Mississippi 
increased from 80,000 to 320,000, of Missouri from 70,- 
000 to 350,000, of Tennessee from 450,000 to 800,000. 
All this great region felt the stir of the State-building 
spirit, and great areas were put imder the plow, and 
towns and cities sprang up everywhere. The long era 
of peace was spent by the people in conquering the wil- 
derness, in founding homes, in building cities, in con- 
structing States. 

What was our next war after the second war with England ? How 
many years of peace between these wars? What can you say of the 
growth of our country during this period? What change took place 
in the occupations of our people? What effect did the growth of 
our country have upon the work of our lawmakers? Why? Name 
three great statesmen of this period. In what respects were they 
alike in their history? Tell about John C. Calhoun's boyhood and 
youth; the boyhood of Henry Clay; Clay's work as clerk; his removal 
to Kentucky. Tell about the boyhood and youth of Daniel Webster. 
Name the public offices filled by Calhoun, Clay, and Webster. What 
was the Cumberland Road? What was Clay's connection with it? 



A PERIOD OF PEACEFUL DEVELOPMENT 247 

What put a stop to canal and road building by Congress ? Tell about 
the dispute over the admission of Missouri as a State. How was the 
dispute settled? What other dispute did Clay help to settle? What 
name was given him because of this? What office did Calhoun hold 
under President Monroe? Tell about the famous message President 
Monroe sent to Congress. What famous debate took place in Con- 
gress during this period ? Tell some things said by each debater. 
What is a protective tariff? (Get your teacher or your father to 
explain this.) What action did South Carolina take in regard to the 
tariff law of Congress? What did President Jackson prepare to 
do? How was the trouble settled? Name some of the inventions of 
this period. Show how our people progressed in education. Name 
a poor-boy President during this period. Tell of the growth of the 
West. 



CHAPTER XVII 



Sam Houston 
Early Life of Houston 

We Give Up Our First Claim to Texas When we 

bought Louisiana from France, in 1803, we did not 
know exactly how far westward our new territory ex- 
tended. In the southwest we claimed that it included 
the greater part, if not all, of Texas. But Spain de- 
clared that Texas was part of 
her province of Mexico, and that 
our Louisiana did not reach even 
as far west as the Sabine River. 
Sixteen years later (in 1819) 
this matter was settled. In that 
year we bought Florida from 
Spain, and as part of the bargain 
we agreed to take the Sabine 
River as our western boundary, 
thus giving up our claim to 
Texas. About this time Mexico 
declared herself independent of 
Spain. Jn the war between Spain and Mexico that fol- 
lowed Mexico won; and Texas now, instead of belonging 
to Spain, belonged to Mexico. 

Settlers from the United States in Texas — But the Sa- 
bine River was easier for our westward-marching pio- 

248 




SAM HOUSTON. 



SAM HOUSTON 249 

neers to cross than the Alleghany Mountains had been 
for their fathers in the days of Daniel Boone. Before 
long settlers from the United States began to throng 
into the fertile plains of Texas. The Mexican govern- 
ment at first encouraged the coming of the settlers, 
making rich grants of lands to the pioneers who came. 
The new-comers, however, were different in language, 
customs, and religion from the Mexicans. They loved 
liberty, and the government of Mexico was harsh and 
tyrannical. There were mutterings of discontent — 
signs of an approaching storm. 

Sam Houston's First Appearance in Texas In De- 
cember, 1832, three horsemen from the United States 
crossed the Red River from the Indian Territory (then 
a part of Arkansas Territory) into the Mexican State 
of Texas. Traveling southward, they reached the vil- 
lage of Nacogdoches, an American settlement in eastern 
Texas. Here the leader of the little party was recog- 
nized and welcomed by some acquaintances among the 
settlers as Sam Houston, famous as an Indian fighter, 
then as Congressman, afterward as governor of Ten- 
nessee. Houston told his Texas friends that he was on 
his way to San Antonio, by order of President Jackson, 
to make a treaty with the Comanche Indians. The peo- 
ple of Nacogdoches felt that they needed such a man as 
Houston to help them in their disputes with Mexico. 
They begged him to make his home among them. He 
promised that he would do so after he had carried out 
President Jackson's order. 

Schoolboy Days of Houston — Sam Houston, who was 
soon to be the leading man in Texas, was born in the 



250 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

A^alley of Virg-inia. He started to school when he was 
eight years old, but as he had to help with the farm work 
he could attend school only a few months in the winter. 
After his farm work 1)egan, if he did his work well, he 
was allowed to run from the fields to the schoolhouse in 
time to keep his place in spelling. When Sam was thir- 
teen years old his father died, and his mother with her 
nine children moved to Tennessee. In his new home 
Sam w^ent for a while to another school. Here, it seems, 
he was fonder of play than of his books. His teacher 
said, "Many a time did I determine to give Sam Houston 
a whipping for neglect of study, but he would come into 
the schoolroom bowing and scraping, with such a fine 
dish of apologies, and withal so polite and manly for one 
of his age, that it took all the whip out of me." Young 
Sam got hold of a book of Greek poetry translated into 
English, and took great delight in reading it. He then 
wanted to study Latin, and when his teacher refused to 
allow him to do so he declared he would never recite 
another lesson. 

Life among the Indians. A School-teacher His older 

l)rother put Sam to work clerking in a store. He did not 
like this indoor work. Just beyond the Tennessee River, 
a few miles from his home, was an Indian tribe. Sam 
was on friendly terms with the red men. He often 
hunted with the Indian boys, and sold them ammunition, 
from the store. One day the storekeeper missed his 
clerk. It turned out that Sam had run away to live with 
the Indians. He made his home with them for several 
years, dressed like an Indian, spoke their language, and 
followed their customs. Then, needing money to pay a 



SAM HOUSTON 25 1 

debt for ammunition, he came back to the white people 
and opened a school. Reading, writing, and "cipher- 
ing" were the only branches taught in most frontier 
schools. Sam knew these branches pretty well, and he 
controlled the boys easily; so his school was a success. 
He raised the price of tuition from six dollars a year to 
eight dollars, payable one-third in cash, one-third in 
corn, and one-third in cotton cloth. Having made 
enough money to pay his debt, he stopped teaching and 
started to school again himself. 

Houston becomes a Soldier; a Lawyer; Governor. 
Among the Indians Again — When our second war with 
England began, Houston, now twenty years old, joined 
the army. He was sent with the troops under Gen- 
eral Jackson against the Indians of Alabama. In the 
battle of Horseshoe Bend he was wounded so severely 
that it was several years after the close of the war be- 
fore he recovered his health. Then, resigning from the 
army, he studied law. He was elected to one office after 
another until he became governor of Tennessee. While 
governor he suddenly gave up his office and left his 
people. He crossed the Mississippi River into the Ter- 
ritory of Arkansas and took up his abode with his old 
friends, the Indians. Again he put on the clothing of 
an Indian and lived in a wigwam. He was known by- 
ihe Indian name of Colonneh, the Rover. While here he 
was requested by President Jackson to visit Texas, as 
already told. 

When and how did the United States first get a claim to Texas? 
What nation disputed our claim ? How was the dispute settled ? 
What was the result of Mexico's war for independence? Tell about 



252 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

the coming of settlers from the United States. Mention some causes 
of discontent. Tell about Sam Houston's first appearance in Texas ; 
about Houston's schoolboy days ; his running away from home ; his 
experience as a teacher; as a soldier against the Indians; as a public 
officer; his second retirement to the Indians. 



TEXAS AND THE PACIFIC SLOPE 

The Texas Revolution. — Houston now made his home 
at Nacogdoches, in Texas. Soon the Texans were in 
arms against the tyrannical Mexican government. 




THE ALAMO. 



Houston was made commander of the Texas army. At 
the Alamo, a stone church used also as a fort, situated 
in San Antonio, a small company of Texans under Col- 
onel Travis was attacked by a large army of Mexicans. 



SAM HOUSTON 253 

The fort was taken, but not until every one of its brave 
defenders had fallen. Near the town of Goliad a little 
army of Texans was compelled to surrender to a large 
Mexican force. Instead of carrying out their promise 
to send the captured Texans back to their homes, the 
cruel Mexicans marched them out in front of the camp, 
stood then) up in rows, and shot them to death. On 
ihe 2 1 St of April, 1836, General Houston's army met the 
Alexicans on the bank of the San Jacinto River, a few 
miles below the present city of Houston. The Texans 
were outnumbered two to one, but they rushed into battle 
shouting, "Remember the Alamo!" "Remember Goliad;" 
and drove their enemies before them. The Mexican gen- 
eral was captured, and a great victory was won. This 
severe defeat of the jMexicans ended the war. Texas 
became an independent republic, with General Houston 
its president. 

Texas Joins the United States — The settlers of Texas 
had all come from the States, and they now wanted their 
new country to join the United States. At first the 
United States refused the request of the Texans for an- 
nexation. IMexico still claimed that Texas belonged to 
her, and threatened to make war on any nation that 
should seize or accept it. The United States tried to 
1)uy Texas as she had l)ought Louisiana, but Mexico 
would not sell. At last, the people of the United States 
showed by their votes that they wanted Texas if she 
still wished to join them. In December, 1845, Texas 
became a State of the United States. This was the first 
new territory which we acquired without buying it. 
Texas is the largest State in the Union. It is nearly 




GENERAL HOUSTON'S VU lOKV AT SAN JAClNTi 



SAM HOUSTON 255 

as large as the first thirteen States east of the Alleghany 
Mountains taken together. 

War between the United States and Mexico. We Gain 
More Territory — Alexico still claimed that Texas be- 
longed to her. When Texas joined the United States 
war broke out between Mexico and the United States 
(1846). The war lasted two years. Generals Zachary 
Taylor and Winfield Scott were the leading generals on 
our side. Our troops won every battle. We conquered 
northern Mexico, including what is now California, and 
captured the city of JNIexico. Mexico was then glad to 
make peace, and to let us have the northern territory our 
troops had conquered, on our paying fifteen million dol- 
lars for it. This new land included the present States 
and Territories of California, Nevada, Utah, Arizona 
(with small parts of Wyoming, Colorado, and New 
Mexico). Our country now extended from ocean to 
ocean. 

Gold in California. — About the time we got the Cali- 
fornia country a workman w4io had been building a 
sawmill on a river bank in northern California noticed 
in the water some shining yellow particles. He took a 
panful of the sparkling dirt to the owner of the mill. 
The two men examined it carefully, weighed it, pounded 
it, poured acids upon it, and at last decided it was gold. 
They tried to keep the discovery a secret, but the news 
leaked out. Rich discoveries of gold were made in va- 
rious parts of the country. People began pouring into 
California from all parts of the United States. On 
horseback, in wagons, on foot, a long procession of im- 
migrants streamed across the W^estern plains, all wild 



SAM HOUSTON 



257 



with the "gold fever." In two years after gold was dis- 
covered California had enough people to be admitted as 
a State. 

California is now noted not only as a gold-producing 
State, but as a rich fruit and farming country. The 




BIG TREES OF CALIFORNIA. 



famous "big trees" of California are the largest in the 
world. 

More Territory — The land west of the Rocky Moun- 
tains and north of California was known as the 
"Oregon country." It was claimed by the United States, 
because it had been visited by Captain Robert Gray in his 
ship Cohimhia in 1793, and because Lewis and Clark 



258 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

had explored it in 1S04. Spain once claimed this region, 
but she gave up her claim to us when she sold us Florida. 
England claimed the Oregon country as part of British 
America, and she insisted on her claim. In the year that 
the Mexican war began, however, we agreed with Eng- 
land to divide the disputed territory between us, the 
United States taking the part south of the present bound- 
ary of British America. General Houston was at this 
time a member of the United States senate which helped 
to make a treaty, or agreement, with England. A few 
years later (1853) we bought from Mexico a strip of 
land now the southern part of Arizona and New Mexico. 
We called this new territory the "Gadsden Purchase," 
from General Gadsden, who was our agent in buying it. 
This made the sixth time we had added to our territory. 
Last Days of General Houston — \Mien Texas joined 
the United States, General Houston was chosen United 
States senator. He was governor of Texas when the 
war broke out betw^een the North and the South. Hous- 
ton believed that Texas made a mistake in leaving the 
Union to join the Southern Confederacy, and he refused 
to support the new government. The Texans then re- 
moved him from his office. He took no part in the war, 
however, but allowed his son to join the Confederate 
army. He died at his home in Huntsville before the war 
was over. 

To what office was Houston first called by the Texans? Tell 
about the fall of the Alamo; the cruelty of the Mexicans at Goliad; 
Houston's victory at San Jacinto; the efforts of Texas to join the 
United States. When did Texas become a State of the Union? 
What can you say of its size? What caused the war between the 



SAM HOUSTON 259 

United States and Mexico? Who were our leading generals? What 
was the result of all the battles? the result of the war? What States 
are included in this "Mexican cession"? Tell about the discovery 
of gold in California; the growth of California in population; the 
productions of the State. Tell about how the United States acquired 
the Oregon country. What States are included in this region? 
What other territory did we get from Mexico? Name the six dif¥er- 
ent additions to our territory thus far. Tell about the last days of 
General Houston. 



CHAPTER XVIII 

The Story of Two Kentucky Boys 
Abraham Lincoln and Jefferson Davis 

Two Kentucky Boys — A few years before the be- 
ginning of the War of 1812 two boys were born in the 
State of Kentucky who were destined when they were 




]!IRTHPLACES AND HOMES OF LINCOLN AND DAVIS. 

each about fifty years of age to be leaders of opposing 

sides in a great war between the Northern and the 

Southern States. Less than a hundred miles separated 

the birthplaces of these boys, and there was only eight 

260 



THE STORY OF TWO KENTUCKY BOYS 26 1 

months' difference in • their ages. The father of the 
older of the boys had moved to Kentucky from Georgia, 
where he had been a soldier in the War of the Revolution. 
The grandfather of the younger boy had come from Vir- 
ginia to make his home in Kentucky a few years after 
Daniel Boone had led the way into this region. The 
name of the older boy was Jefferson Davis; of the 
younger, Abraham Lincoln. 

EARLY LIFE OF LINCOLN 

Boyhood of Lincoln.— When Abraham Lincoln was 
seven years old his father removed from Kentucky to 
Indiana. He selected a place in the woods for a home, 
and with the help of little Abe and his older sister Sarah 
and Mrs. Lincoln a shelter was quickly built. This 
shelter was called a ''half-face camp." It was a kind of 
shed made of poles and covered with leaves and branches. 
One side was left entirely open, and in front of this 
opening a fire was kept burning to warm the camp. Over 
the fire hung a huge iron kettle, and in this kettle Abe's 
mother cooked the wild game, beans, corn, or other food. 
In this uncomfortable home the Lincoln family lived a 
whole year. AA'hen they moved into their new log cabin 
it seemed to little Abe like a palace, although it had a 
dirt floor and no doors or windows, save openings in 
the walls over which skins of wild animals were hung. 
Abe slept on a pile of leaves in the loft of the cabin, and 
every night he climbed to his bed by a ladder of wooden 
pins driven into the logs. 

Lincoln's School Days — Abraham Lincoln's mother 
taught her husband to read and write, and she probably 



262 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



taught little Abe also. He went to school in a log cabin 
near his home. But his school days were soon over. 
His father took him from school to put him to work, but 
he continued studying. He had no slate, and writing 

paper was scarce. 
So he used to write 
compositions and 
work "sums" in 
arithmetic at night 
on the wooden 
shovel by the fire- 
place. When he 
had covered the 
shovel with letters 
and figures he 
shaved them ofif 
and began again. 
At nineteen years 
of age he had read every book he could find, could "spell 
down" the whole neighborhood in their spelling matches, 
and could write a neat, clear hand. 

A Trip to New Orleans. — Young Lincoln longed to see 
something of the world beyond his father's little farm. 
The chance came when a rich neighbor offered to hire 
him to accompany his son on a flatboat loaded with corn 
and other products to New Orleans. To the Western 
farmers of that time boats on the Ohio and Mississippi 
took the place of freight trains with us. It was a long 
trip, of about eighteen hundred miles, to New Orleans. 
Young Lincoln managed the boat successfully and sold 
the cargo for a good price. One night, on the way down, 




LINCOLN S EAKI.V liU-Mi:. 



THE STORY OF TWO KENTUCKY BOYS 



263 



when they had tied their boat to the shore, and the two 
young- men were asleep on board, they were awakened 
by a gang of negroes coming to rob the boat. Abra- 
ham seized a club, knocked several negroes overboard, 
drove the rest from the boat, and, with his companion, 
chased them some distance in the darkness. 

Moves to Illinois. Rail Splitter: Soldier When 

young Lincoln was twenty years old his father moved to 
Illinois. Here another cabin home was built. Abra- 
ham, w^ith the help of his cousin, John Hanks, split 
enough walnut rails for his father to fence in a field of 
fifteen acres. Once, 
when he needed a 
pair of trousers, he 
agreed with a lady 
who was to make 
them to split for her 
four hundred good 
fence rails for every 
yard of cloth she 
furnished. W h e n 
war against the In- the beautiful memorial built over 
dian chief Black '^^^ Lincoln cabin, in Kentucky. 

Hawk broke out Lincoln joined the army and was 
made captain of a company. Black Hawk was cap- 
tured, and the war was closed before Lincoln's men 
had a chance to do any fighting. In a speech after- 
ward he jokingly said that in the Black Hawk War he 
fought, bled, and came away — that he charged upon 
the wild onions, and had a good many bloody struggles 
'with the mosquitoes. 




264 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

Lincoln Studies Law. Elected to the Legislature and 
to Congress. — After his war experience was over Lincoln 
studied law. About the time he began to practice he 
was elected to the Legislature of Illinois. As he was 
then too poor to hire a horse he walked all the way from 
his home to the State capital, over a hundred miles. He 
was elected again and again to the Legislature. Then 
his people sent him to Congress. When Lincoln took 
his seat in the House of Representatives, or "Lower 
House" of Congress in December, 1847, among the new 
members of the Senate, or "Upper House," was Jeffer- 
son Davis, of Mississippi, the Kentucky boy mentioned 
in the beginning of this chapter. 

What State was the birthplace of two opposing leaders in the war 
between the North and the South ? In what respects was the early 
history of these boys similar? What were their names? Tell about 
the boyhood of Lincoln; about his school days; his trip to New Or- 
leans; his new home in Illinois; his experience as a rail splitter; 
as a soldier; his public ofHces. What former Kentuckian did he 
meet in Congress? 

EARLY LIFE OF DAVIS 

Boyhood of Jefferson Davis. — Abraham Lincoln's 
father moved northward from Kentucky; Jefferson 
Davis's father moved southward. Before Jefferson was 
old enough to remember, his father took his family from 
Kentucky and settled in Mississippi. Here little Jeff, 
when only five years old, started to school. He and his 
sister Polly used to walk through the woods to the log 
cabin in which the school was taught, carrying their 
"dinner" in a basket. Jefferson was two years younger 
than his sister, but he thought he had to take care of 



THE STORY OF TWO KENTUCKY BOYS 265 

her. One day when they were going through the lone- 
hest part of the woods they saw coming toward them 
through the undergrowth what seemed to be a drunken 
man carrying several chairs on his head. Jefferson 



Jefferson H)avi6, 

OF MISSISSIPPI, WAS BORX JUNE 3, 1808, 

OX THE SITE OF THIS CHURCH. 

HE MADE A GIFT OF THIS LOT MARCH 10, 1886, 

TO BETHEL BAPTIST CHURCH, 

AS A THAXK-OFFERIXG TO THE LORD. 



INSCRIPTION ON MARBLE SLAB .IN WALL OF THE BAPTIST 
CHURCH, FAIRVIEW, KENTUCKY. 

seized his sister's hand and said, "Wq mustn't run, 
Polly!" Slowly the strange object drew near, until 
it proved to be a wild deer, with great branching horns. 
Gazing at the two children bravely standing hand in 
hand, the deer came quite close to them, then turned 
and bounded oft". 

Jefferson Decides between Going- to School and Picking 
Cotton — After two years at a boarding school in Ken- 
tucky, Jeft'erson returned to his home in [Mississippi, and 
entered the county academy. One day when his teacher 
threatened to punish him for not knowing a lesson which 
Jeft'erson declared was longer than he could master 
the boy took up his books and went home. His father 
after listening to his story said : "It is for you to choose 
whether you will work with your head or with your 
hands ; of course, my son could not be an idler. I want 
more cotton pickers, and I will give you work." For two 



266 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

days Jefferson worked steadily in the cotton field from 
morning until night beside his father's negro slaves. 
Then he decided that long lessons were not so bad as 
long cotton rows, when the cotton had to be picked by 
a boy unused to steady work in the hot sun. The next 
day he was back at his place in school with no more com- 
plaint about long lessons. 

A Cadet at the Military Academy ^^'hile Jefferson 

Davis was at college he was appointed by President 
Monroe a cadet in the military academy at West Point, 
New York. A schoolmate at college has said of him 
that, while gay and light-hearted, Davis was free from 
coarseness and vulgarity; that "he was always a gentle- 
man in the highest sense of the word." The cadets at 
West Point are trained to be soldiers. They are sup- 
ported by the government, and a sum of money is paid 
them each month for their expenses. Every month 
Cadet Davis sent a part of his pay to his mother. Once 
or twice she returned it, but finding that this distressed 
him, she kept it. 

A Soldier. — After graduating from West Point, Lieu- 
tenant Davis was stationed with other soldiers at first 
one fort and then another in the Northwest. He was 
engaged in the Black Hawk Indian War, and it is said 
that he was the ofiicer before whom Captain Abraham 
Lincoln was sworn into service in that war. After his 
marriage he resigned from the army and lived on a 
plantation in Alississippi. Li 1844 he was elected to the 
Lower House of Congress. \Mien the INlexican \\"ar 
broke out a regiment of volunteer soldiers from Mis- 
sissippi chose Mr. Davis as their commander. In the 



THE STORY OF TWO KENTUCKY BOYS 



267 



battle of Buena Vista the skill and bravery of Colonel 
Davis and his men won the victory for our army. Davis 
was severely wounded in this battle. 

United States Senator — On his return from the Mex- 
ican War, Colonel Davis was made United States sena- 
tor. In the same Congress in which he took his seat 
as senator from Mississippi, Abraham Lincoln first ap- 
peared as representative from Illinois. Thus the two 




Copyright Detroit Plioto Co. 

JEFFERSON DAVIS'S HOME, BEAUVOIR, MISS. 

Kentucky boys, having grown to manhood with lives 
so widely dififerent, have at last come together as law- 
makers for their country. One boy, blessed with a com- 
fortable home and every advantage of education, made 
the most of his opportunities. The other boy, raised in 
poverty and with almost no school advantages, con- 
quered every difficulty, made opportunities, then im- 
proved them. Both were high-minded, truthful, gener- 
ous, brave — worthy examples to all American boys. 



268 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

Tell about Jefferson Davis's removal from Kentucky; about the 
adventure of little Jefferson while on his way to school; about his 
cotton-picking experience. What was said of him as a college stu- 
dent? What is the United States Military Academy? How did 
Davis become a cadet? How did he show his love for his mother? 
In what Indian war did he serve? After his marriage where did 
he make his home? What part did he take in the Mexican War? 
On his return from the Mexican War to what office was Colonel 
Davis chosen? Compare the lives of the two Kentucky boys. 



FORMATION OF THE CONFEDERATE STATES 



Different Political Beliefs of Lincoln and Davis Al- 
though Lincoln and Davis were members of the same 
Congress, they belonged to dififerent political parties — 
that is, they had different beliefs about the powers of 

the government, and how these 
powers should be exercised. 
Lincoln's party was composed of 
men who, for the most part, be- 
lieved that the Constitution of 
the United States gave the 
President, Congress, and other 
United States officers power to 
do certain things which the party 
of Jefferson Davis believed could 
be done only by the officers of 
the different States. Lincoln's 
party believed that in cases where 
the meaning of the Constitution was not perfectly plain 
more power should be given to the United States, or cen- 
tral government, and less power to the State. Davis's 
party believed that the State governments should have 




ABRAHAM LINCOLN. 



THE STORY OF TWO KENTUCKY BOYS 



269 



more power and the central government less. These 
different beliefs led to many disputes. 

The Slavery Question. — Another question which di- 
vided Jefferson Davis and the people of the South from 
Lincoln and the people of the North was that of 
slavery. Slaves were brought to 
this country by New England 
ships and were once owned in all 
the States. But it was found 
that the cold climate of the 
Northern States and the trading 
and manufacturing occupations 
of the people were not suited to 
the negro. In the North it was 
cheaper to hire a white workman 
than to feed and clothe the negro 
slave and care for him in sick- 
ness, when, after all, he could not 
be trained to do skillfully the 
work which the Northern people 
wanted done. In the South, on the other hand, negro 
slaves w^ere profitable to their masters. The warm 
climate of the South was like that of the negro's African 
home. Under the direction of a good "overseer," ne- 
groes made excellent farm hands on Southern planta- 
tions. So it came about that the Southern people con- 
sidered slavery the best thing for the negro, for the 
South, and for the whole country. Many Northern 
people, on the other hand, came to look upon it as a great 
wrong, a shame and a disgrace to the whole country. 
When a new State was ready to join the Union there 




JEFFERSON DAVIS. 



270 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

was nearly always a hot dispute between North and 
South as to whether it should come in as a *'free" or a 
''slave" State. 

The Abolitionists — The North began to form societies 
called ''abolition societies," for the purpose of abolish- 
ing slavery in the Southern States. Members of these 
societies made speeches, published papers, and wrote 
poems declaring slavery to be a sin, and Southern slave 
owners to be cruel and wicked. The Southern people 
declared that cruel slave owners were few; that the 
slaves were well cared for, happy, and contented. They 
pointed to passages in the Constitution of the United 
States permitting slavery, and they insisted that Con- 
gress had no right to interfere with it. The more bitter 
the Northern attacks upon slavery became the more de- 
termined were the people of the South to stand by what 
they considered their rights under the Constitution. 

The Question of Slavery Before the United States Su- 
preme Court — In a lawsuit over the ownership of a negro 
slave named Dred Scott the Supreme Court of the United 
States decided that the Constitution permitted a master 
to take his slaves into any territory of the United States. 
This decision enraged the people of the North who were 
opposed to slavery. The Judges who made the decision 
were abused in newspapers and public speeches. Al- 
though many Northern people did not join in this abuse, 
yet the bitter attacks upon the judges angered the South 
against the North. \Mien Northern States refused to 
carry out the law of Congress which required that slaves 
escaping into their borders be returned to their Southern 
owners this anger increased. 



THE STORY OF TWO KENTUCKY BOYS 27 1 

The John Brown Raid — Another event that increased 
the feehng- between the North and South was the John 
Brown raid. John Brown was a Northern abohtionist 
who had been engaged in bloody fights with the slave 
owners of Kansas. With a few followers he went to 
Virginia, broke into a house where arms belonging to the 
United States were stored, seized a number of guns, and 
called upon the negro slaves to join him in a war upon 
the white people of the South for the purpose of abolish- 
ing slavery. Brown's party killed several white citizens 
and, took others prisoners; but the slaves did not join 
them, as they had expected. The raid proved a failure. 
John Brown was captured, tried for treason and mur- 
der, was found guilty, and was hanged. Yet many of 
the Abolitionists of the North praised John Brown, and 
in newspapers and public speeches declared he had done 
right. This led Southern people to believe that the senti- 
ment in the North was in favor of Brown's plans. 

Abraham Lincoln Chosen President of the United 
States. — In the midst of this bitter feeling between North 
and South, members of the Republican Party met in 
Chicago to choose a man for whom their party would 
vote for President. During the meeting friends of Lin- 
coln brought in two old fence rails which Lincoln had 
split when a young man. With the rails was carried a 
banner bearing the words, "Abraham Lincoln, the Rail 
Candidate for the Presidency." The rails were greeted 
with cheers, and Lincoln was nominated. The party of 
Jefferson Davis could not agree upon a candidate for 
their side to vote for, and split into two parts. Lincoln 
was then elected President of the United States. 



272 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

The Southern States Leave the Union. — From the be- 
ginning of the government the Southern States had be- 
Heved that a State had the right to withdraw, or secede 
from the Union. Northern States also had held this 
view, and in the New England States particularly it had 
been often asserted. When Lincoln was elected Presi- 
dent the Southern States determined to secede. They 




Copyriglit Detroit Photo Co. 

CONFEDERATE CAPITOL AT RICHMOND. 



did this not because Lincoln himself was hateful to them, 
but the party to which he belonged included the bitterest 
enemies of the South. The Southern people believed 
that with this party in control of the government, de- 
cisions of the Supreme Court would be disregarded, the 
Constitution would be broken, and their rights trampled 
upon. 



THE STORY OF TWO KENTUCKY BOYS 273 

Jefferson Davis Chosen President of the Confederate 
States. — Between December, i860, and February, 1861, 
seven States withdrew from the Union — South Carohna, 
Mississippi, Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, and 
Texas. Delegates from the seceded States met at Mont- 
gomery, Alabama, and formed a new government, called 
the Confederate States of America. Jefferson Davis, 
of ]\Iississippi, was chosen President, and Alexander 
H. Stephens, of Georgia, Vice-President. Four other 
States — Virginia, Arkansas, North Carolina, and Ten- 
nessee — afterward joined the Confederacy, and the cap- 
ital was moved from Montgomery to Richmond, Vir- 
ginia. 

Lincoln and Davis in Later Years — Soon after Lincoln 
was made President a terrible war between the United 
States and the Confederate States began. The war 
lasted four years, and closed with the armies of the 
United States victorious. Just after the close of the 
w^ar President Lincoln w^as killed. A half-crazy man 
named John A\'ilkes Booth crept up behind the President 
in a theater and shot him. His death was a great loss 
to the South as well as to the North; for if Lincoln 
had lived he w^ould have saved the Southerners from 
much of the harsh treatment they received just after 
the war. To-day the memory of Abraham Lincoln is 
honored in all parts of our country. 

At the close of the war President Davis was arrested 
on the charge of treason, and was thrown into prison. 
After two years of imprisonment he was released, and 
his case was never tried. He died in the city of New 
Orleans, at the age of eighty-one, loved and revered by 



274 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

the people of the South, respected by good men every- 
where. 

What different political beliefs did the parties of Davis and of 
Lincoln have? Tell how slavery came to prevail in the South and 
not in the North. How was slavery regarded in the South? How 
did many Northern people regard it? Tell about the attacks of the 
abolitionists upon slavery and slave owners ; the reply of the South- 
erners. What was the decision of the United States Supreme Court 
in the Dred Scott lawsuit? How was this decision received? Who 
was John Brown? Tell about his raid. How did this increase the 
hatred between North and South ? Tell about the nomination of 
Lincoln for President by the Republican Party ; the result of the 
election. At the beginning of our government what belief about 
secession was held by all the States ? Why did the Southern Stales 
determine to secede when Lincoln was elected President? Tell about 
the formation of the Confederate States government ; the officers 
chosen ; the capitals. Tell about the last days of Lincoln ; of Davis. 



CHAPTER XIX 
The War Between the States 

The Beginning of the War 

How the War Began. — Jefferson Davis and the people 
of the South beheved that a State had a right to leave the 
Union. Abraham Lincoln and the N^orthern people de- 
clared a State had no such right. So when the officers 
of the seceded States asked President Lincoln to remove 
the LTnited States soldiers from the forts in their borders 
he refused to do so. He not only refused to remove these 
troops, but he sent supplies and more troops to Fort Sum- 
ter, on the coast of South Carolina. The Southern peo- 
ple believed that by sending these soldiers to Fort Sum- 
ter the North began the war. President Davis ordered 
the Confederate troops near Fort Sumter to capture the 
fort before the ships bearing President Lincoln's re- 
inforcements should arrive. On April 12, 1861, South- 
ern soldiers attacked the fort. After a stubborn defense 
lasting part of two days Fort Sumter w^as surrendered 
to the Confederates. The great war had begun. 

The First Great Battle. — The first great battle of the 
war was fought in Virginia on Bull Run Creek, near 
Manassas Junction. The Northern army started south 
from Washington to capture Richmond, the Confederate 
capital. They were met by the Southern army. In one 
part of the field of battle the troops under the Southern 

275 



2/6 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

General T. J. Jackson were fiercely attacked, but they 
firmly held their ground. In the midst of the fight an- 
other Southern officer, whose troops had begun to re- 
treat, seeing Jackson's unyielding bravery, shouted to 
his own men: "Look; there is Jackson, standing like 
a stone wall! Let us die here, or conquer!" His men 
took fresh courage at the sight. The advance of the 
Northern troops was checked. At this moment fresh 
Confederate troops arrived upon the field. The South- 
ern army rushed forward, and gained a great victory, 
driving their enemies back to Washington. General T. 
J. Jackson, who became one of the most famous generals 
of the war, was ever afterward known as "Stonewall 
Jackson." 

What Each Side was Trying to Do — The purpose of 
President Lincoln was to conquer the Confederacy, so as 
to make the seceded States come back into the Union. 
To carry out this purpose the Northern armies east of 
the Alleghany Mountains tried again and again to cap- 
ture Richmond, the Confederate capital. West of the 
Alleghanies, Northern troops invaded the Confederacy 
in the efifort to defeat its armies and capture its cities. 
Northern armies also triedto get control of the Missis- 
sippi River by attacking Southern cities and forts along 
its bank, their object being in this way to cut the Con- 
federacy in two. Lastly, Northern ships of war sta- 
tioned themselves outside of Southern harbors to prevent 
any ships passing in or out. The purpose of Presi- 
dent Davis was to defend the Confederacy from the at- 
tacks made upon it. The object of the Southern armies 
was to drive the invading armies from their soil. In 




BATTLE OF MANASSAS. 



278 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

numbers, in wealth, in ships, and in suppHes of war, the 
North had a tremendous advantage. 

Tell how the war between the States began. Where was the first 
great battle? Tell about General T. J. Jackson's bravery; the result 
of the battle. What was President Lincoln's purpose in the war? 
How did he try to carry out his purpose ? What was the purpose 
of President Davis? the object of the Southern armies? the stronger 
side? 



WEST OF THE ALLEGHANIES 

The Southern Line Broken. Battle of Shiloh To 

guard their territory west of the Aheghanies the Con- 
federates built a line of forts 
through Kentucky. The North- 
ern General U. S. Grant captured 
two of these forts (Henry and 
Donelson), breaking through this 
line. General Grant then ad- 
vanced southward to near the 
boundary between Tennessee and 
Mississippi. Here he was met by 
an army under General Albert 
Sidney Johnston, one of the best 
Southern generals. The great 
battle of Shiloh followed. The 

first day of the battle the Confederates were victorious. 

But late in the afternoon General Johnston was mortally 

wounded. In the night another army came to the aid of 

General Grant, and next day the Confederates (under 

General Beauregard) retired southward. 
General Bragg's Defense of Tennessee. — The Southern 

General Bragg now began a struggle for the possession 




GENERAL A. S. JOHNSTON. 



THE WAR BETWEEN THE STATES 



279 



of Kentucky and Tennessee. At Murfreesboro, in Mid- 
dle Tennessee, a bloody battle was fought between 
Bragg's army and that of General Rosecrans. Both 
sides claimed the victory. The next year the same gen- 
erals met in northern Georgia, just south of the Ten- 
nessee line. Here the great battle of Chickamauga was 
fought, in which the Confederates gained a brilliant vic- 
tory. General Grant now took Rosecrans's place, and 
in the battle of Chattanooga, Tennessee, defeated General 
Bragg's army. 

Northern Troops Invade Georgia — General Sherman 
was now placed in command of the Northern army in 
the \\'est (1864). Sherman started 



southward 



through 



Georsfia. He 




was opposed by a Southern army 
first under General Joseph E. John- 
ston, then under General Hood. 
The Confederates repeatedly checked 
the larger forces of the Federals, but 
could not stop their advance. Sher- 
man's soldiers burned houses and 
laid waste the country in their path. 
At last they reached the seacoast at 
Savannah. Sherman then turned 
northward through the Carolinas. 

The Struggle for the Mississippi River In the second 

year of the war Northern warships captured New Or- 
leans. Higher up the river Vicksburg and Port Hud- 
son, held by the Confederates, still guarded the stream. 
The next year General Grant took Vicksburg after heroic 
resistance by its defenders. Generals Stephen D. Lee 



GENERAL JOHN 
HOOD. 



B. 



28o THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

(who defeated Sherman at Chickasaw bayou), John- 
ston, and Pemberton. Port Hudson surrendered a few 
days later. The whole Mississippi River was now in 
the hands of Union troops. The Confederacy was cut 
into two parts. 

West of the Mississippi.— West of the Mississippi were 
the Confederate States of Arkansas, Louisiana, and 
Texas, with the disputed State of Missouri. In 
the first year of the war the Confederates under 
Generals Price and McCulloch won the battle of 
Wilson's Creek in Missouri. Union troops afterward 
gained control of the State. In Louisiana General Dick 
Taylor with a small Southern army defeated General 
Banks in the battles of Mansfield and Pleasant Hill. 
In Texas a fort at Sabine Pass, garrisoned by a little band 
of forty-two men under Lieutenant Pick Dowling, dis- 
abled or drove back Union ships carrying a large army 
for the invasion of the State. Galveston, which had 
been seized by Union troops, was recaptured by the Con- 
federates in a brilliant fight. 

How was the Southern Hne west of the Alleghanies broken? Tell 
about General Grant's advance and the battle of Shiloh. Name three 
great battles fought by the Southern General Bragg. What was the 
result of each? Tell about General Sherman's march through 
Georgia; about the capture of the Mississippi River by the Federals. 
Name some important battles west of the Mississippi. 



THE DEFENSE OF RICHMOND 

General Lee's First Campaigns (1862-4). — The next 
year after the battle of Manassas another Northern army 
(under General McClellan) advanced against Richmond. 



THE WAR BETWEEN THE STATES 



281 



'^x 



In the "Seven Days' Battles," near Richmond, General 
R. E. Lee, commanding the Southern army, drove back 
the enemy and saved the city. General Lee was greatly 
helped by General Stonewall Jackson. Jackson defeated 
four different Northern armies in the Shenandoah Val- 
ley, and kept them from going to the aid of McClellan. 

In the battles of Second Manassas, Fredericksburg, 
and Chancellorsville (all in Vir- 
ginia) General Lee thrice defeated 
Union, armies that were trying 
to capture Richmond. But the 
victory at Chancellorsville was 
dearly bought by the South. 
General Lee's ablest assistant, 
General Stonewall Jackson, was 
mistaken in the darkness for the 
enemy, and was mortally wounded 
by his own men. 

Twice General Lee crossed the 
Potomac River and invaded the 
North. In the first invasion a drawn battle was fought 
at Antietam Creek, Maryland. The Northern gen- 
eral having received heavy ^reinforcements. General 
Lee returned to Virginia. In Lee's second invasion 
the greatest battle of the war was fought near Gettys- 
burg, Pennsylvania. The Northern General Meade had 
one hundred thousand men ; Lee, seventy thousand. The 
fight lasted three days. On the third day a heroic charge 
by the Confederates was repulsed by overwhelming num- 
bers of the Federals. Unable to drive back the superior 
forces of the enemy, Lee slowly retreated into Virginia. 




GENERAL STONEWALL 
JACKSON. 



282 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

Fighting Between Lee and Grant. Surrender of Lee. — 

General Grant was now placed in command of the army 
opposed to Lee. His forces outnumbered Lee's three to 
one. Once more a great Northern army started toward 
Richmond. On the way the great battles of the Wilder- 
ness, Spottsylvania, and Cold Harbor were fought. Fi- 
nally, by overwhelming numbers, Lee was forced back to 
Petersburg, near Richmond. When Grant captured the 
town of Petersburg, Richmond was abandoned by the 
Confederates, and Lee began to retreat toward the south- 
w^est. At Appomattox Court House, seventy-five miles 
from Richmond, he encountered Grant's forces, number- 
ing over one hundred thousand men. Here, on April 9, 
1865, Lee gave up the struggle, and surrendered his little 
army, which was then reduced to ten thousand soldiers. 
General Grant treated General Lee and the ragged, half- 
starved Confederates with the greatest kindness. He 
supplied them with food, and let them keep their horses 
to use in their farm work at home. When General Lee's 
army surrendered the other Confederate forces soon laid 
down their arms, and the great war was ended. 

Tell about the Seven Days' battles; about General Jackson's vic- 
tories; the battle of Chancellorsville; Lee's first invasion of the 
North; his second invasion; the fighting between the armies of Grant 
and Lee; the surrender of Lee; General Grant's conduct. 

AFTER THE SURRENDER 

General Robert E. Lee — The greatest general of the 
Confederacy was Robert E. Lee. A native of Virginia, 
Lee had graduated at West Point, and had been a gallant 
officer in the Mexican War. When the war between the 



THE WAR BETWEEN THE STATES 



283 



States broke out Lee was offered the chief command of 
the armies of the United States. But he dechned the 
offer because he beheved it his duty to stand by his State. 
In the second year of the war he was placed in command 
of the Confederate army in Vir- 
ginia, and later was made com- 
mander in chief of all the South- 
ern forces. The army he com- 
manded was never as large as 
that opposed to him — sometimes 
not half as large. Yet for three 
years he successfully defended 
Richmond, driving back one 
Northern army after another, 
and proving himself one of the 
greatest generals of the world. 
General Lee was not only a 
brave soldier and a great gen- 
eral, but he was also a modest Christian gentleman. 
When the war was over he became president of Wash- 
ington College, in Virginia, and spent the rest of his life 
as a teacher of Southern boys. 

General U. S. Grant— The greatest general of the 
Northern, or Federal, armies was Ulysses S. Grant. 
Like Davis and Lee, Grant was a graduate of West 
Point Academy, and a brave officer in the Mexican War. 
During the first three years of the war between the 
States, General Grant commanded troops west of the 
Alleghany Mountains. On account of his victories in 
Kentucky, Tennessee, and Mississippi he was made com- 
mander in chief of all the Union forces, and was put 




GENERAL R. E. LEE. 



284 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



in charge of the army in Virginia, which had been so 
often beaten by General Lee. General Grant afterward 
became President of the United States. He was an able 
general, and a generous, kind-hearted man. When he 

died several ex-Confederate 
generals showed their respect 
for his memory by attending 
his funeral. 

The Battles and Leaders of 
the War — There is not space 
in this book to tell the story of 
the war. You must study it 
in large histories. Only a few 
of the most important battles 
have been named. Both the 
soldiers who wore the "blue'^ 
and those who wore the "gray" 
showed the greatest bravery. Both fought for the cause 
they believed was right. Among the great generals on 
the Confederate side, besides Robert E. Lee, were Stone- 
wall Jackson, Albert Sidney Johnston, Joseph E. John- 
ston, Beauregard, Hood, Stuart, Forrest, Longstreet, S. 
D. Lee, Gordon. On the side of the Union were Generals 
Grant, Sherman, Rosecrans, Hancock, Thomas, Sheri- 
dan, Meade, McClellan, and Llooker. 

Slavery Abolished. — During the war President Lincoln 
decided that it would help to weaken the Confederacy to 
free the slaves. So he wrote his famous "Emancipation 
Proclamation," declaring free the slaves in those parts of 
the Confederacy not yet occupied by Northern armies. 
At the close of the war a change, or amendment, was 




GENERAL U. S. GRANT. 



THE WAR BETWEEN THE STATES 285 

added to the Constitution abolishing slavery in all parts 
of the United States. 

One Country Once More. — The terrible war brought 
sorrow and suffering and death everywhere. The 
Southern people suffered most because the fighting was 
on their soil. Their family circles were broken by death, 
their homes were destroyed, their farms laid waste, their 
stock killed. But bravely those who were left set to 




THE STARS AND BARS. THE BATTLE FLAG. 

CONFEDERATE FLAGS. 

work to build up the old South, and make it even greater 
than before. Northern and Southern people had 
learned to respect each other's courage; now they came 
to understand each other better. The war was like a 
great storm whose black clouds had long been gathering 
and whose thunders had been muttering in the distance. 
At last the tempest burst in its fury, carrying death and 
ruin in its path. But after a while its last echoes died 
away, the sun rose once more in splendor, and the air 
seemed never so pure, nor the skies so clear. Our coun- 



286 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

try to-day, after the awful suffering caused by the war, 
is stronger, more closely united, more prosperous than 
ever before. 




CONFEDERATE S(>I.1)1I:RS RETURNING HOME. 



Tell what you can about General R. E. Lee; about General U. S. 
Grant. What can you say of the soldiers on both sides? Name 
some of the leading Confederate generals ; the leading Union gen- 
erals. Tell about the abolition of slavery; the suffering caused by 
the war; the good results the war produced. 



CHAPTER XX 

Our Country Reunited 

Dark Days for the South — The suffering of the South 
did not end with the war. There was a period of "Re- 
construction" lasting five years or more, during which the 
N^orthern people as victors tried to govern the Southern 
people as subjects. Besides the amendment to the Con- 
stitution abolishing slavery, the Southern States were 
forced to accept two other amendments, which gave other 
privileges to the negroes and allowed them to vote. At 
the same time many of the best white citizens were not 
allowed to vote. The result was that ignorant and dis- 
honest men were elected to the offices, unjust laws were 
passed, good laws were not enforced, the people's money 
was wasted or stolen, and hatred between whites and 
blacks was aroused. United States soldiers were kept 
in the Southern States to uphold these incompetent State 
officers and enforce the bad laws. At last the people 
of the North came to see that it was best for both negroes 
and whites to let the people of each State manage their 
own affairs. Accordingly, all white citizens in the 
South were once more allowed to vote, and the United 
States troops were withdrawn. The intelligent white 
citizens at once took charge of the State and county gov- 
ernments, and the Southern people began to be peaceful 
and contented. 

287 



288 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



Progress of the South. 

— Since the close of the 
dark days of "Recon- 
struction" the South has 
made wonderful progress. 
Southern people are glad 
that slavery is gone, and 
they would not restore it 
if they could. The old 
friendly feeling between 
the white and black races 
that existed before the 
war is returning, as 
the negroes, freed from 
the control of the unprin- 
cipled Northern adventur- 
ers who flocked southward 
after the war, are learn- 
ing to shun politics and to 
become industrious work- 
ers. Southern farmers 
have ceased to depend on 
cotton and corn alone, and 
have begun to cultivate 
fruit, vegetables, and 
other crops. Coal, iron, 
and other minerals abound 
in several Southern States, and the mining industry now 
employs thousands of men and millions of capital. In- 
stead of shipping all their raw cotton to the North and to 
Eurpe to be made into cloth, Southern people have begun 




A TEXAS OIL WELL. 



OUR COUNTRY REUNITED 



289 



to build their own cotton factories in sight of the cotton 
fields. In Texas great underground streams of oil have 
been discovered. Wells bored in this region bring the oil 
to the surface in huge fountains. Having always main- 
tained splendid private schools and colleges, the Southern 
States now also provide by taxation excellent public 
schools for white and for black children. 




Copyright Detroit Photo Co. 

BRIDGE ACROSS THE MISSISSIPPI AT ST. LOUIS. 

Progress of the West — The progress of the West since 
the war has been equally wonderful. Chicago, no longer 
a "Western frontier" town, has grown to be the second 
largest city in America. In 1869 the first railroad to 
the Pacific Ocean was completed, connecting the East 
and the West. This and other Pacific railroads after- 
ward built hastened the settlement of the great West. 
At the close of the war there were only five States be- 
yond the row of States touching the west bank of the 
Mississippi River. Since then twelve States have been 
formed from this western region. Arizona, the last of 
the Territories, came into Statehood in 1912. 



290 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



New Territory Purchased in the Far North. — Two 

years after the close of the war between the States 
we bought the northwest corner of North America from 
Russia for seven milhon two liundred thousand dollars. 
We changed the name of our new purchase from Rus- 
sian America to Alaska. This was the first territory 
acquired by us that did not touch any part of the United 
States. Alaska is more than twice as large as Texas, 

and though condi- 
tions are such that 
explorations pro- 
gress slowly some 
wonderful gold 
and copper mines 
and some exten- 
^ sive coal fields 
have been discov- 
ered in sections 
most thoroughly 
investigated. 

Some Recent In- 
ventions. — Since 
the war a number 
of inventions have 
come into use that 
have greatly 
changed the life of 

SCENE IN ST. LOUIS, I9I2. ^^^^ ^p^^^^j^^ ^j^^ 

electric light is taking the place of the gas light and 
the oil lamp. Telephones now make it possible for 
persons hundreds of miles apart to talk to each other. 




Copyrife'iit Uml 



OUR COUNTRY REUNITED 291 

Electric cars have taken the place of horse cars in 
the cities. More recently, instead of buggies and car- 
riages drawn by horses, automobiles driven by gas 
or electricity are met upon the roads and highways 
throughout the country. Bicycles are ridden by rich 
and poor, old and young, to save many a w^eary step. 
Ice machines have changed ice from a luxury which 
only the rich could afford to a comfort in reach of the 
poorest. Typewriting machines are taking the place 
of pen and ink with letterwriters. The wireless tele- 
graph has made it possible for passengers on ships hun- 
dreds of miles apart to send messages to each other and 
to friends upon the distant land. Flying machines and 
airships now carry adventurous "birdmen" through the 
air at a speed greater than that of the fastest express 
train. In fact, if any one had told our grandfathers 
fifty years ago that all these changes would take place it 
would have seemed like a strange fairy story. 

World's Fairs — The American people delight to cele- 
brate birthdays and anniversaries. In 1876 we cele- 
brated the one hundreth anniversary of the Declaration 
of Independence by our first World's Fair. It was called 
the Centennial Exposition, and was held at Philadelphia. 
In 1892-3 we celebrated the four hundredth anniversary 
of the discovery of America by the great Columbian 
Exposition at Chicago. The one hundredth anniversary 
of the purchase of Louisiana was celebrated by a World's 
Fair, held at St. Louis in 1903. 

France's Gift — To show their friendship for the United 
States the people of France presented us with an im- 
mense statue called ''Liberty Enlightening the World." 



292 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

The statue stands on an island at the entrance to New- 
York Harbor. It is so large that inside the head of 
"Liberty" is a room big enough to hold forty persons. 
A picture of this statue is on the outside of the cover of 
this book. 







* *,'''' 






^ 

^ 



COURT OF HONOR AT THE COLUMBIAN EXPOSITION AT CHICAGO. 

Tell about the suffering of the South during "Reconstruction" 
days. To what conclusion did the North finally come? What was 
the result? Tell something of the progress of the South since Re- 
construction; the progress of the West; the purchase of Alaska; our 
anniversary expositions; France's gift. 



CHAPTER XXI 



War With Spain 
Our First Island Territory 

We Take Up Cuba's Fight. — In 1898 we went to war 
with Spain — the first European nation we had fought 
since the War of 181 2. Spain had once owned all the 
islands of the West Indies. One by one they had been 
taken from her until only Cuba and Porto Rico re- 
mained in her possession. The 
people of these Spanish islands w^ere 
wTetchedly governed, and time and 
again the Cubans took up arms to 
throw off the rule of their mas- 
ters. But the Spaniards always 
conquered them, and ruled more 
cruelly than ever. The people of 
the United States felt sorry for 
their Cuban neighbors. We tried 
to get Spain to rule the island more 
mildly. But the Spaniards were 
suspicious of us, and did not like our sympathy with the 
Cubans. While one of our finest battleships, the Maine, 
was visiting the harbor of Havana, Cuba, she was blown 
up, and over two hundred of her sailors were killed in 
the explosion. The people of the United States be- 
lieved this cowardly deed was done by Spanish officers, 

m 




ADMIRAL DEWEY. 



294 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



or that they allowed it to be done. Congress then di- 
rected the President to use the army and navy of the 
United States to, drive the Spanish from Cuba, if they 
still refused to set the island free. 

Fighting in the Philippines.^War began April 21, 
1898. The first great battle was fought in the Pacific 
Ocean three thousand miles from our coast. Com- 
modore Dewey, with a fleet of our ships, was stationed 

at Hongkong, China. He sailed 
against the Philippine Islands, 
owned by Spain, and without 
losing one of his own men at- 
tacked and completely destroyed 
the Spanish ships in the harbor 
of Manila, the chief city of the 
Philippines. For his splendid 
success Congress voted to present 
Commodore Dewey with a sword, 
and the President promoted him 
from commodore to admiral, the 
highest rank in the navy. 
Hobson's Brave Deed Mean- 
while Spain sent another fleet to guard Cuba. These 
Spanish vessels sailed into the harbor of Santiago, on 
the Cuban coast. An American fleet under Admiral 
Sampson, with Commodore Schley next in command, 
stood outside the harl)or, ready to give battle to the 
Spanish ships if they should venture out. The entrance 
to the harbor of Santiago is a narrow winding channel, 
guarded by forts, so it was impossible for our ships to 
get inside the harbor. Lieutenant Hobson oflfered to 




LIEUTENANT HOliSON. 



In the West Indies. 



WAR WITH SPAIN 



295 



obstruct this narrow channel, and thus "bottle up" the 
Spanish ships and prevent their escape. With seven 
volunteers he took a coal ship, the Merrimac, into the 
channel, and sunk her partly across it. Hobson and his 
men hurried from the sinking ship and floated off on a 
raft they had brought with them for this purpose. They 
were captured by the Spaniards, but their captors in 




Copyriglit V 



BATTLESHIP ALABAMA. 



admiration for their brave deed treated them with great 
kindness. 

Land Attack on Santiago — United States forces were 
landed to attack the city of Santiago. Our soldiers, after 
sharp fighting, drove the Spaniards from El Caney and 
San Juan, outposts of Santiago, into the city itself. Our 



296 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



army was commanded by General Shafter. Among the 
brave officers who helped win the victory were General 
Joe Wheeler, a famous Confederate cavalry leader, and 
Colonels Wood and Roosevelt, of the ''Rough Riders," a 
regiment composed chiefly of Western cowboys, but in- 
cluding also many college men from the East. 

Destruction of the Spanish 
Fleet. — The Spanish Admiral 
Cervera, finding that the sunk- 
en Merriinac did not wholly 
block the channel, one Sunday 
morning, in the hope of es- 
caping, started out with his 
fleet. His ships were at once 
pursued by the vessels of our 
fleet, under Commodore Schley 
(Admiral Sampson being ab- 
sent at the time). The 
Spaniards made a brave 
fight, but in less than three 
hours every one of their ships 
was disabled, and Admiral Cervera was a prisoner. 
End of the War — Beaten in every battle, Spain was 
now ready to give up. On August 12, 1898, both sides 
agreed to stop fighting. The war lasted less than four 
months. In the treaty of peace Spain agreed to give up 
all claim to Cuba, the people of the United States to 
decide what should be done with the island. Spain also 
agreed to let us have the island of Porto Rico, and to 
sell us the Philippine Islands for twenty million dollars. 
Cuba and the Philippines. — The Congress of the 




ADMIRA-L SAMPSON. 



WAR WITH SPAIN 



297 




ADMIRAL SCHLEY. 



United States promised to withdraw our soldiers from 

Cuba and let the Cubans form a government of their 

own. In 1902 this promise was carried out. Many of 

the Filipino people, under their 

leader, Aguinaldo, wanted their 

country also to be independent, 

and they fought to keep our 

troops from taking possession of 

the island. They were beaten, 

however, and Aguinaldo himself 

was captured. 

Hawaii Annexed The Presi- 
dent and Congress of the Ha- 
waiian Islands, in the Pacific 
Ocean, two thousand miles south- 
west of San Francisco, had once 
applied for annexation to the United States, and we had 
refused to admit them. They again applied during our 
war with Spain; we annexed the islands, and they be- 
came subject to the United States. 

The Panama Canal— Events of the Spanish War con- 
vinced us that we must have a waterway across the 
Isthmus of Panama in order that our warships might be 
able, when necessary, to hurry to the defense of our Is- 
land possessions. In 1903 we obtained from the little 
republic of Panama a strip of land ten miles wide across 
the Isthmus, and through this ''canal zone" we set to 
work digging a canal, at the rate of five hundred train- 
loads of dirt removed each day. It is believed that the 
work will cost the United States about $400,000,000, 
and that the canal will be completed in ten years. Then 



298 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

Columbus' dream of a direct waterway to India will at 
last have come true. The distance by sea from New 
York to San Francisco will be shortened eight thousand 
miles, and great benefit will result to the commerce of 
the world. 




LOCATION OF THE PANAMA CANAL. 



In what year did we go to war with Spain? Tell about Spain's 
rule of her West Indian Islands ; our sympathy with the Cubans ; 
the blowing up of the Maine; the action of Congress. Tell about 
the battle of Manila; the honors to Commodore Dewey. Where did 
Spain send another fleet? Where did Sampson and Schley station 
our ships ? Tell about Hobson's brave deed ; the land attack on 
Santiago; the destruction of the Spanish fleet. How long did the 
war last? What was agreed upon in the treaty of peace? What 
has Congress promised the Cubans? Tell about Aguinaldo's re- 
sistance in the Philippines; the annexation of Hawaii. 



CHAPTER XXII 



Oklahoma, the Indian State 

Sequoyah, the Indian Alphabet-maker, and Okla- 
homa, THE "Beautiful Land" 

Sequoyah's Boyhood. — At the time that George Wash- 
ington was fighting his country's battles in the War of 
the Revolution, there was living with his mother in what 
is now the State of Tennessee (then the western part 
of North Carolina) an Indian boy 
named Sequoyah. Like most In- 
dian lads, Sequoyah was a skillful 
hunter. He was able to support 
himself and his mother by selling 
to the white settlers the furs and 
hides of the animals he trapped 
or killed. Sequoyah did not spend 
all his time in hunting. He loved 
to visit the homes of the whites 
and to watch the blacksmiths and 
carpenters at their work. He be- 
came a good blacksmith himself sequoyah. 
and could make a horseshoe or mend a broken wagon as 
skillfully as the best workman. He also learned to be 
a silversmith. The settlers brought to him their old 
battered silver forks, spoons and ornaments, and he 
melted them and made new articles of beautiful design. 

299 




300 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

So, although Sequoyah did not have the advantage of 
going to school, yet he was quick to use his mind, his 
eyes, and his hands. He learned to do things and to 
do them well. Many white boys and girls could learn 
a lesson from the example of this young Indian. 

Sequoyah Invents an Alphabet — Sequoyah belonged to 
the Cherokee tribe of Indians. The Cherokee language 
was a spoken language only, its words had never been 
written or printed. After Sequoyah had grown to man- 
hood there came into his hands by chance an old spell- 



THH LORD'vS PRAYlvR IN CHEROKElv. 
^yvt 5-iwa ?.o, S-ii.v^vi(r i^4>vdJi &&vit. itKQGr.'i >*n 

Fp^Sfilp.lP KfrSy. Dd" hotJi CPliAl'^Jly^ I^R ©J[dt;yddJTO(>i)WO-y, 

otiy(riccroir^c^j[..v^oeyh cpe p^rt. G^tis^z Oe^gt.^ i*kt. Dtf 



THE LORDS PRAYER IN CHEROKEE. 

ing book used by children of the white settlers. His 
inquiring mind led him to ask questions about the book. 
He was told that the characters (or groups of letters) 
stood for words of the spoken language. He determined 
to make some characters by means of which his own 
beautiful Cherokee language could be written, so that 
his people could learn to read and write their own speech. 
Noticing that the same syllables occurred in different 
words, he decided to make each letter in his new alpha- 
bet stand for a distinct syllable. He took from the spell- 



OKLAHOMA, THE INDIAN STATE 301 

ing book capitals, small letters, italics, figures — some up- 
side down — then added some new characters of his own 
devising, until he had an alphabet of eighty-five char- 
acters, each of which represented a syllable. By means 
of this alphabet every sound in the Cherokee language 
could be expressed. It was adopted by the tribe and 
came into general use. Although Sequoyah's alphabet 
has two and one-half times as many letters as the Eng- 
lish, yet after the Cherokee child has mastered his al- 
phabet he has no more trouble with reading, and hard 
•spelling lessons are unknown. It is said that Sequoyah 
could teach any Cherokee, old or young, to read and 
write his language in three weeks. 

Sequoyah Moves West. The Indian Territory Soon 

after completing his great invention, Sequoyah moved 
westward and made his home among the Cherokees west 
of the Mississippi. In 1832 Congress set aside the In- 
dian Territory to be the home of the tribes that had re- 
moved from Southern States east of the Mississippi. 
When the Republic of Texas came into the Union she 
gave to the United States the strip of land north of the 
Texas "Panhandle" and this strip was added to Indian 
Territory. The Indian Territory became the home of the 
"Five Civilized Nations," — the Cherokees, Chickasaws, 
Choctaws, Creeks and Seminoles. When an old man 
Sequoyah wandered toward the southwest. He died 
somewhere in northern Mexico when over eighty years 
old. 

The Coming of the Whites. Oklahoma Territory 

When the Indian Territory was formed, the whites were 
forbidden by law to settle within its limits. Later the 



302 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY ' 

western part of the Territory was transferred to the 
United States by the tribes owning it. These vacant 
lands were then opened to settlement, April 22, 1889, 
was fixed as the day on which expectant settlers were 
permitted to "cross the line" into the coveted land. 
United States troops kept the vast crowd in order until 
noon of the appointed day, when, at a blast from a bugle, 
men on horseback, on foot, and in all kinds of vehicles 
set out in a mad race for the best lands. Before night 
towns were laid out. Fifty thousand persons entered 
the Territory the first day. Additional lands were after-' 
ward thrown open for settlement. In 1890 this western 
region was organized as Oklahoma Territory, with 
Guthrie as its capital. 

The Two Territories United as a New State. — Not long- 
after Oklahoma was formed, the tribal lands in the In- 
dian Territory were divided by the United States Gov- 
ernment into small tracts, which were given to the In- 
dians separately. At the same time the Indians were 
declared by law to be citizens of the United States, with 
rights and duties similar to those of other citizens. On 
November 16, 1907, Oklahoma Territory and Indian 
Territory were admitted into the Union as the new State 
of Oklahoma. 

The State of Oklahoma — Oklahoma is our forty-sixth 
State, and the last remnant of the great Louisiana Ter- 
ritory to enter Statehood. The name Oklahoma is an 
Indian word for "Beautiful Land." The fertility of its 
soil, the variety of its resources, and the beauty of its 
scenery justify its name. The new State entered the 
Union with a population six times as large, and with 



OKLAHOMA, THE INDIAN STATE 



303 



wealth fifty times as great, as any other State had when 
admitted. Its government, as outlined in its first State 
Constitution, contains some notable features. Among 
them may be mentioned the provisions for abolishing 
trusts, for controlling railroads and other corporations, 




STREET SCENE IN OKLAHOMA CITY IN I9I2. 



and for prohibiting the manufacture and sale of intoxi- 
cating liquor in the State. 

Oklahoma's Neighbors, Arizona and New Mexico. — 
After the admission of Oklahoma as a State, the only 
Territories remaining (excluding Alaska and our island 
possessions) were New Alexico and Arizona. In 191 1 



304 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 

and 1912 these last Territories became States, bringing 
the total number of States to forty-eight. 

Looking Backward — Looking backward over the his- 
tory of our country, we see that more than four hundred 
years have passed since the shores of America were first 
visited by Columbus. In the year 1500 European sail- 
ors had just begun to venture in the track of Columbus 
across the dreaded ocean to the unknown shores of the 
New World. One hundred years later (1600) the vast 
continent was still the home of wild animals and savage 
Indians, undisturbed by the white man save by wander- 
ing bands of explorers and by a few Spanish settlers in 
Florida and in Mexico. Turning the page till another 
hundred years have passed (1700), we find the home- 
building Englishmen have begun to occupy America. 
A row of struggling English colonies lines the Atlantic 
coast. Back of the Englishmen are the settlements of 
their enemies the French; south of them, the territory 
of the no less hated Spaniards. Another century brings 
us to the year 1800. What mighty changes do we see! 
The English-speaking settlers now own the country as 
far west as the Mississippi River. The independence of 
the English colonies has been declared and won, and a 
new nation has been born, the United States of America. 
In 1900 another hundred years have passed. How ap- 
pears our country to-day in the dawn of the twentieth 
century? A great and powerful nation whose territory 
stretches from ocean to ocean, and from the Lakes to the 
Gulf, and includes distant islands of the seas ; a govern- 
ment whose flag is respected in every quarter of the 
globe; a people contented, prosperous, and happy, at 



OKLAHOMA, THE INDIAN STATE 305 

peace with the world, and fihed with the spirit of love 
and helpfulness for each other; enjoying the blessings 
of freedom and good government to a degree rarely 
equaled, and nowhere excelled on the face of the globe. 

The Future. — Every American has a right to be proud 
of our country. It is our country. It belongs to every 
one of us. Our fathers have made it what it is to-day. 
Who can tell what the next century has in store for us ? 
Shall our beloved country go onward and upward in the 
path of honor and greatness? Every boy and girl who 
reads this book will help to answer this question. If the 
children of America grow up truthful and pure and 
brave, proud of their country, and loving God and their 
fellowmen; if they have the rugged honesty of Abraham 
Lincoln, the devotion to duty of Robert E. Lee, the wis- 
dom of Benjamin Franklin, the love of country of George 
Washington; if they copy the virtues of their fathers 
and avoid their faults, the future of our country will be 
even grander and more glorious than its past. 

Turning back the pages of our history to the year 1500, what do 
we see? in the year 1600? in 1700? in 1800? in 1900? What of the 
future ? 



306 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



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308 THE BEGINNER'S HISTORY OF OUR COUNTRY 



LIST OF THE PRESIDENTS 



No. 



i6 



President. 



George Washington 
John Adams . 

Thomas JeiTerson 

James Madison . 

James Monroe 

John Quincy Adams . 

Andrew Jackson . 

Martin Van Buren . 
William H. Harrison* 
John Tyler 

James K. Polk . . 
Zachary Taylor* . 

Millard Fillmore . 

Franklin Pierce 
James Buchanan . 

Abraham Lincoln* 

Andrew Johnson . 

Ulysses S. Grant . 
Rutherford B. Hayes 
James A. Garfield * . 
Chester A. Arthur 

Grover Cleveland 
Benjamin Harrison . 
Grover Cleveland 

William McKinley* . 

Theodore Roosevelt . 

William H. Taft . . 



State. 



Virginia 
Massachusetts 

Virginia 

Virginia 

Virginia 

Massachusetts 

Tennessee . 

New York 
Ohio . . . 
Virginia 

Tennessee . 
Louisiana . 

New York 

N. Hampshire 
Pennsylvania . 

Illinois 

Tennessee . 

Illinois 

Ohio . . . 
Ohio . . . 
New York 

New York 
Indiana 
New York 

Ohio . . . 

New York 

Ohio- . . . 



Term of Office. 



By whom 
elected. 



Two terms; 1789-1797 . 
One term; 1797-1801 . 

Two terms; 1801-1809 . 

Two terms; 1809- 181 7 . 

Two terms; 1817-1825 . 

One term; 1825-1829 . 

Two terms; 1829-183 7 . 

One term; 1837-1841 . 

One month; 1841 . 

3 years and 11 months; 

1841-184S 

One term; 1845-1849 . 

1 year and 4 months; 1849, 
1850 

2 years and 8 months; 
1850-1853 

One term; 1853-1857 . 
One term; 1857-1861 . 

One term and 6 weeks 
1861-1865 



3 years and loJ/J months: 
1865-1869 



Two terms; 1869-1877 . 
One term; 1877-1881 . 
Six months and 15 days . 
3 years, 5 mos., 15 days; 

1881-1885 

One term; 1885-1889 . . 
One term; 1889-1893 . 
One term; 1893-1897 . 

One term and 6 months; 

1897-1901 

One term, 3 years, 6 mos.; 

1901-1909 



Whole people 
Federalists 

Democratic- 
Republicans 

Democratic- 
Republicans 

Democratic- 
Republicans 

House of Rep. 

Democrats 

Democrats 
Whigs 

Whigs 
Democrats 

Whigs 

Whigs 

Democrats 

Democrats 



Republicans 



Republicans 

Republicans 
Republicans 
Republicans 

Republicans 
Democrats 
Republicans 
Democrats 



Republicans 

Republicans 
Republicans 



•Died in office. 



Index 



Abolitionists, 270 

Adams, second President, 209 

Aguinaldo (Ah-gwin-al'-do), 297 

Alabama, 1 17, 260 

Alamo, 252 

Alaska, 290 

Alden, John, 79 

Alexander, Indian chief, 83 

Almanac, Poor Richard's, 182 

Alphabet, Cherokee, 300, 301 

America, discovery by Columbus, 11; by 

Cabot, 21; name, 22 
Annapolis, 58 

Antietam (An-tee'-tam), battle, 281 
Appomattox, surrender, 282 
Arkansas, 237, 251, 273 
Articles of Confederation, 197 

Bacon, Nathaniel, 53 

Baltimore, first Lord, 54; second Lord, 

55, 57 
Baltimore city, 58, 230 
Bancroft, 246 
Banks, General, 280 
Barr, Captain, 116, 117 
Beauregard (Bo'-re-gard), General, 278 
Berkeley, Governor, 52, 53 
Bienville, loi, 115-121 
Biloxi Bay, 117, 121 
Biloxi settlement, 117 
Black Hawk War, 263. 266 
Boone, Daniel, 184-188 
Boonesborough, 187 
Booth, J. Wilkes, 273 
Boston, 80, 163, 167 
Braddock, General, 153, 155 
Bradford. Governor, 77, 78 
Bragg. General, 278 
Brown, John, 271 
Bryant, Wm. Cullen, 245 
Bull Run, see Manassas, 275 
Bunker Hill, battle, 166, 167 
Burgoyne (Bur'-goin), General, 172 

Cables, ocean, 235 

Cabot, John, 21 

Cabot, Sebastian, 22 

Calhoun, J. C. 238, 241 

Calhoun, Patrick, 238 

California. 243 

Canal, The Panama, 298 

Carolina, colony, 60, 63 

Carolina, French fort, 59 

Cartier, Jacques (Zhack Kart-e-ay'). Joi- 

104, 121 
Cassette girls, 118 



Castell, Robert, 64 

Cervera (Cer-ve'-ra), Admiral, 296 

Champlain (Sham-planeO, Samuel, loi, 

105, 107, 121 
Champlain, Lake, 107 
Chancellorsville, battle, 281 
Charles I, king of England, 55 
Charles II, king of England, 60, 88, 94 
Charleston, 60, 63, 168 
Chattanooga, battle, 279 
Cherokee language and alphabet, 300 
Cherokees, 301 
Chicago, 289, 291 
Chickamauga, battle, 279 
Chickasaws, 301 
Choctaws, 301 

Clark, George Rogers, 189, 190-193 
Clark, William, 213 
Clay, Henry, 238, 245 
Clermont, steamboat, 227, 228 
Cold Harbor, battle, 282 
Colonies, general view of, 123; groups, 

Columbus, Christopher, early life, 1-6; 
discoveries, 7-15; old age and death, 
15, 16; results of discoveries, 21 

Columbus, Diego, brother of Christopher, 

3 
Columbus, Diego, son of Christopher, 9 
Concord, skirmish, 164, 165 
Confederate States, 268, 273, 280 
Congress, Continental, 164, 167 
Congress, under the Constitution, 197 
Connecticut, colony, 82 
Constitution, present, 197-199 
Cooper, J. Fenimore, 246 
Cotton gin, 202, 203 
Creek Indians, 220, 222 
Creeks, 301 
Crescent City, 1 18 
Cuba, 13, 16, 294, 296 
Cumberland Road, 241 
Custis, Mrs. Martha, 155, 156 



Dare, Virginia, 33 
Davis, Jefferson, 261, 264-273 
Debtors, oppressed. 64, 65 
Decatur, Lieutenant, 215 
Declaration of Independence, 



169, 



Delaware, Lord, 49 
Delaware, colony, 94 

De Leon, Ponce (Pon'-thay day Lay- 
own), 23-25 
De Monts, Sieur (S-yur Da Mong'), 103 
De Soto, Ferdinand, 25, 26 



309 



3IO 



INDEX 



Detroit, Fort, 190 

Dewey, Admiral, 294 

Dinwiddie, Governor, 151, 152 

Donelson, Fort, 278 

Donnacona, Indian chief, 103 

Dowling, Lieutenant, 280 

Dred Scott decision, 270 

Duquesne (Du-kane'), Fort, 153, 155, 156 

Dutch, 95-99 

El Caney, battle, 295 
Electricity, Franklin's studies in, i8j 
Electric light, 290; cars, 290 
Elizabeth, Queen, 30, 36, 59 
Emancipation proclamation, 284 
English Turn, 117 
Erie, Lake, battle, 219 
Expositions, 291 

Ferdinand and Isabella, 9, 15 

Field, Cyrus W.. 236 

Filipino, 297 

Five Civilized Nations, 301 

Flag. American, 169; Confederate, 

Florida, 23; purchase of, 223, 258, 

Forrest, General, 284 

Franklin, Benjamin, 178-183 

Fredericksburg, battle, 281 

French fishermen, 22; explorations, 
121; territory, 113, 121, iS9. 212 
tlements, 105, 113, 117. nS; war, 

159 
Fulton, Robert, 22t, 228 



28 s 
273 



1(11- 
set- 
149- 



Gadsden Purchase, 258 

Galveston, battle, 280 

Gates, General, 172 

Genoa, 3, 4 

Georgia. 63-70, 273, 279 

Germantown. 92 

Gettysburg, battle, 281 

GofTe, Colonel, 85 

Gold, discovery of, 255, 290 

Goliad massacre, 253 

Gosnold, Captain, 39 

Grant, General U. S.. 278. 279, 282-284 

Great Meailows, battle, 152 

Greene, General, 173 

Iladley, Indian attack upon, 84 
lialf-Moon. ship, 97 
Hancock, General, 284 
Harvard College, 131 
Havana, 16, 118,, 294 
Hawaii (Hah-wi'-e), 297 
Hawthorne, 246 
Hayne-Webster Debate, 244 
Ilayti, 13, 16 

Henrietta Maria, Queen, 55 
Henry, King of England, 30 
Henry, Patrick, 190, 206, 208 
Henry. Prince of Portugal, 6 
Hobson, Lieutenant. 294 
Hochelago (Ho-she-lah'-ga), 103 
Holland, 72, 95 
Hood, General, 279 
Hooker, General, 284 
Horseshoe Bend, battle, 25: 
Houston, Sam, 248-259 



Hudson. Henry, 96, 97 
Huguenots, 116 

Iberville, loi, 114-118 

Illinois, 189, 237, 263 

India, western route to, 7, 13, 97, 108 

Indian, Sequoyah, 299-301 

Indian Territory, 299-301 

Indiana, 193, 237 

Indians, name, 13; in Virginia, 43-47; 
in Maryland, 56; in Georgia, 66-68; in 
Massachusetts, 74-78; in New England, 
83-86; in Pennsylvania, 90-92; in New 
York, 98; in Canada, :o2; in Missis- 
sippi, 117: in Louisiana, 119; in Ken- 
tucky, 186-188; in Tennessee, 194-193; 
Houston's life among, 250, 251 

Inventions, recent, 290 

Iroquois (Ir'-o-quoy) Indians, 107, 156 

Irving, Washington, 245 

Isabella, Queen. 9, 10, 15 

Isthmus of Panama, 105 

Jackson, Andrew, 217-224, 249, 251 

Jackson, General Stonewall, 276, 281 

Jamaica, 14 

James, king of England, 36, 40, 93 

Jamestown, 40 

Jasper, Sergeant (Sar-jent), 1O9 

Jefferson, Thomas, 205-215 

Johnston, General Albert Sidney, 278 

Johnston, General Joseph E., 279 

Kaskaskia, 189-191 

Kentucky, 185-189, 240, 264 

King Philip's War, S3-86 

King's Mountain, battle of, 173-175 

Knights of the Golden Horseshoe, 53 

Labrador, 22 

1 afayette. General, 173 

Lake Erie, battle, 219, 220 

La Salle, Robert Cavalier, loi, 108-113, 

i]6, 121 
Lawrence, Captain, 220 
Lee, General Robert E., 280-284 
Lee, General S. D., 284 
Le Moyne Brothers. 101, 113-121 
Lewis and Clark expedition, 213, 214, 237 
Lexington, battle, 165 
Liberty bell, 169 
Liberty statue, 292 
Lincoln, Abraham, 261-264, 267, 268, 271, 

273. 275, 284 
Locomotive, first, 231 
London Company, 39 
Longfellow, 246 
Longstreet, General, 284 
Louisiana,- 110-113, 1 14-121, 212, 248, 

253 

Magellan, Ferdinand, 27 

Maine, state, 273 

Maine, battleship, 293 

Manassas, or Bull Run, first battle, 275; 

second battle, 281 
Manhattan Island, 98 
Manila Harbor, battle, 294 
Mansfield, La., battle, 280 
Marquette (Mar-kef), Father, 109 



INDEX 



311 



Maryland, 54-58 

Mason and Dixon's line, 58 

Massachusetts, 71-80 

Massasoit, Indian chief, 77, 78, S3 

Mauretania, steamship, 2^9 

MayiJozvcr, ship, 7J, 74, 76 

McCormick's reaper, 245 

Meade, General, 281. 284 

Mexico, 248; war with, 255 

Michigan, 193, 237 

Mississippi, 237, 246 . 

Mississippi River, discovered, 26; ex- 
plored, 109-117, 189: contest for, 279 

Mississippi, State, 115, 196, 264, 266, 
267, 27Z 

Missouri, 237, 242, 243, 246 

Missouri Compromise, 243 

Missouri State, 189 

Mobile Bay, 1 15 

Mobile city, 117 

Monroe Doctrine, 243, 244 

Montcalm, General, 158 

Montgomery, Ala., 273 

Monticello (Mon-ti-chel'-lo), 208, 209 

Montreal, 104, 113, 121 

Morse, Samuel F. B., 233-235 

Mosquitoes in Louisiana, 119 

Moultrie, Fort, 169 

Mount Vernon, 200 

Murfreesboro, battle, 279 

Musgrove, Mary, 66 

Nacogdoches,- 249, 252 

Natchez, 1 17 

Necessity, Fort, 152 

Negroes, 270, 271 

New Amsterdam, 98 

New England, 47, 71, 82 

New England boy of colonial times, 127- 
137 

New France, 1 01-123 

New Hampshire. 82 

New Jersey, 94, 93 

New Netlierlands, 99 

New Orleans, 1 19-121; battle, 220; cap- 
ture, 279 

New York, 95-100 

New York city, 171, 201 

North Carolina, 32, 59-63, 273 

Nova Scotia, 105, 106 

Nullification, 244, 245 

Oglethorpe, James, 64-70 
Ohio, 193 

Oklahoma Territory, 301-303 
Oklahoma State, 303 
Oregon, 214, 223, 257, 258 

Pacific Ocean, 27 

Pacific railroad, 289 

Palmetto, 61, 62 

Palos, Spain, 8-10, 14 

Panama Canal, 297 

Pelican, ship, i 14 

Penn, William, 87-95 

Pennsylvania, 87-93 

Pensacola, 115 

Perry, Captain Oliver H., 219, 220 

Petersburg, 282 



Philadelphia, 89. 163, 169-173, 201, 291 

Philadelphia, ship, 215, 216 

Philippine Islands, 27, 294, 296 

Pilgrims, /2-yg 

Pine trees of Carolina, 60-61 

Pirates, African, 215, 216 

Pitt, William, 156 

Pleasant Hill, La., battle, 280 

Plymouth, 75 

Plymouth Company, 39 

Pocahontas, 45, 49 

Poe, Edgar A., 246 

Polo, Marco, 7 

Port Hudson, 279, 280 

Port Royal, 106, 121 

Porto Rico, 293, 296 

Portugal, 5, 9 

Potato, 35 

Powhatan, Indian chief, 45 

Prescott, 246 

Price, General, 280 

Princeton, battle, 172 

Printing press, 181, 182 

Priscilla Mullins, 79 

Providence, R. I., 82 

Puritans, 79, 80 

Quakers, 87, 89 
Quebec, 103, 104, 121 
Quebec, battle, 158 

Railroads, 230-233, 289 

Raleigh (Raw'ley), Walter, 29-37, 38, 39 

Reconstruction, period, 288 

Revere, Paul, 164 

Revolutionarv War, 161-177 

Rhode Island, 81-S2 

Rice plant, 61, 62 

Richmond, Va., 2~z, 276, 280-282 

Roanoke Island, 33 

Rochelle, 115 

Rolfe, John, 49 

Roosevelt, Colonel, 297 

Rosecrans, General, 279 

Sabine Pass, battle, 280 

St. Augustine, 105, 123 

St. Louis, 213, 291 

St. Mary's, 56, 58 

Salem, Mass., 80 

Samoset, Indian chief, 77 

Sampson, Admiral, 296 

San Jacinto, battle, 253, 254 

San Juan, battle, 295 

San Salvador, 13 

Santiago, battle, 295 

Saratoga, battle, 172 

Savannah, Ga., 66 

Schley (Shli), Admiral, 296, 297 

Scott, General, 255 

Secession, 272 

Seminole Indians, 222 

Seminoles, 301 

Sequoyah, 299-301 

Seven Days' battles, 281 

Sevier (Se-veer'), John, 175, 185, 193- 

196 
Shafter, General, 296 
Sheridan, General, 284 



312 



INDEX 



Sherman, General, 279 
Sherrill, Katherine, 194, 19s 
Shiloh, battle, 278 
Slashes, The, 239 
Slaves, 51, 63, 203, 269-271, 28s 
Smith, John, 38-48, 71, 96, 97 
South America, 15, 28 
South Carolina, 59, 61, 62, 232, 273 
Southern boy of colonial times, 137-147 
Southern colonies, 38-70, 124 
Southern progress since the war, 288 
Spain, 8; war with, 293-298 
Spottswood, Governor, 53 
Spottsylvania, battle, 282 
Squanto, Indian, 77 
Stamp tax, 162 
Stantiish, Myles, 74-79, 95 
Standish, Rose, 76, 79 
Steamboats, 226-230 
Stephens, Alexander IT., 273 
Stephenson, George, 231 
Stuart, General, 284 

Stuyvesant, Peter (Sty'-ves-ant), Gov- 
ernor, 99 
Sumter, Fort, 275 
Swedes, 94 

Taxation of the colonies, 162, 163 

Taylor, General Richard, 280 

Taylor, General Zachary, 255 

Tea Party, Boston, 163 

Telegraph, 233-236 

Tennessee, 195, 273, 278 

Texas, III, 226, 273, 280 

Thanksgiving Day, 78 

Thomas, General, 284 

Tobacco, 35, 51, 58 

Tomochichi (Tom-o-chee'-che), Indian 

chief, 66-69 
Tonty, 116 

Travel, modes of, 141, 225, 232 
Travis, Colonel, 252 
Trenton, battle, 172 



United States, independence declared, 
169; acknowledged by England, 176; 
first constitution, 176; present constitu- 
tion, 197; territorial growth, 212, 222, 
257> 258, 290, 297; future of, 286 

Valley Forge, 172 

Vermont, 188 

Vespucius Americus, 23 

Vicksburg, 279 

\'incennes (Vin-sen'), Ind., 191 

Virginia, 32, 38-54, 273 

War, French, :49-i59; of the Revolu- 
tion, 161-177; of 1812, 218-222; with 
Mexico, 255; between the States, 275- 
286; with Spain, 293-297 

Ward, Nancy, 194 

Washington, George, boyhood, 137-147; 
major, 150; colonel, 152-158; general, 
161-175; President, 199-202 

Washington city, 20c, 220 

Watauga River. 193 

Webster, Daniel, 238, 240-245 

West Point Academy, 266, 282, 283 

West, progress of the. 289 

Wheeler, General, 296 

White, Governor, 33 

Whitney, Eli, 202 

Wilderness, battle, 282 

William and Mary College, 145, 205 

Williams, Roger, 81-82 

Williamsburg, Va., 53, 146 

Wilson's Creek, battle, 280 

Winslow, Edward, 78 

Wisconsin, 193 

Wolfe, General, 158 

Wood, Colonel, 296 

World's Fairs, 291 

York, Duke of, 94 
Yorktown, Va., 176 



CC-t A »1* 



